Batman & Benson 5
by Mcfergeson
Summary: As Olivia Benson and Bruce Wayne brace themselves for a major battle with Cadmus, they get broad-sided by the arrival of a new threat in Gotham City.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Olivia Benson is in a loving relationship with Alex Cabot in this story. The other major 'ship is Bruce Wayne/Rachel Dawes. _

_Olivia Benson and other characters from Law & Order: SVU belong to Dick Wolf and Univeral._

_Batman and other DC characters belong to DC Comics and Time/Warner._

_Kitty Pride and other Marvel characters belong to Marvel Comics. _

_I'm not making any money from this story, it's a fanfic that's been written strictly for fun. I hope you enjoy it._

**Batman & Benson 5**

**Chapter One**

'What a nightmare!' Commissioner Gordon thought grimly, as he pulled his car up to the crime scene. 'On top of everything else that's going on lately, this is the last damn thing we need.'

Gordon got out of his car and walked straight over to the group of police officers who stood by the Emergency Services truck. Along with detectives Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya, Commander Karen Preen from SWAT was also there--her black-garbed boys and girls had laid siege to the hostage scene, their automatic weapons pointed at the Ruby Dee's family restaurant. Gordon saw that the restaurant--part of a national franchise that was normally a very bright and cheery place--was now dark, and the shades were drawn over the main windows in front.

"Anything happen since I got here?" Gordon asked.

"Not much, Commish," Bullock said. Like Montoya, he was clad in a bulletproof vest with the letters GCPD stenciled across the chest and back. "They've been sitting tight since they took over the place."

"There was an attempted break-in at Star Labs earlier," Montoya said. "Harvey and I responded to the call with several other units and found this bunch running out of the Star Labs building. They weren't able to grab anything, since they were scared off by the alarm system. We gave chase, and wound up right here."

"Bastards stormed the restaurant and took everybody hostage," Bullock growled. "There was a birthday party going on--it was just breaking up when these clowns arrived and took them all hostage. The place is packed with little kids who're no more than five, six years old!"

Gordon glanced at Preen. "How is SWAT situated?"

"I've got the front, sides and back covered," she reported. "I've got people on the adjacent rooftops, and I've also had the Gotham Power Authority cut power to this entire block."

"Do we know how many hostage takers we're dealing with?"

Preen gestured at Bullock and Montoya. "The detectives here inform me that the group consists of five people."

"That was what it looked like to us," Bullock added. "At least five bad guys--maybe six."

Montoya suddenly pointed upwards. "Commissioner, look!"

Gordon glanced up and saw the Bat-signal was brightly lit against the nighttime sky. His heart swelled when he saw the signal, for even during these dark days, it was still a magnificent sight. The only problem was, Gordon didn't turn it on--nor did he order anybody else to light it up.

"Curnow," Gordon said with disgust, when he realized who could have done this. "She's trying to bait the Batman."

"That bitch," Bullock spat. "You don't think Bats will fall for it, do ya, Commish?"

Gordon just smiled. "If I know the Dark Knight, Harvey, he's already here."

**B&B**

"Shut up, you little brats!" the scary masked man yelled.

Little Aaron had tried to shush Pete, but his best friend was so scared that he kept right on crying. This made the scary man--who was dressed from head to toe in black--even more angry.

Aaron, Pete and the other kids who had attended Angela's birthday party had been ordered to sit on the floor with their backs up against the wall, and once they did this, Petey started crying. When Aaron asked him what was wrong (aside from the fact that this birthday party had been so rudely interrupted), Pete told him that whenever they made people sit or stand against a wall in the movies, they shot them. And that was what was gonna happen here. Pete was convinced that the bad men were gonna shoot them all.

Pete kept crying so much that it really made the scary man angry. And the last thing that Aaron wanted was for the scary man to be mad, because he carried a really big handgun, which Aaron would normally think was pretty awesome, if he wasn't being threatened with death by it.

"Petey, you hafta be quiet!" Aaron pleaded with his friend.

"We're gonna die!" Pete cried, as he started bawling his head off.

"I want my mommy!" Becky Lang suddenly screamed in terror, as she began to cry.

It was almost like a domino effect, as all of the children--even the birthday girl, Angela--started to cry hysterically all around Aaron, who grew more frightened by the minute.

Danielle, Angela's older sister, abruptly got up from where she huddled with the adults and came over to the kids. "Let me sit with them, please," she pleaded with one of the other scary men. "I can keep them--"

Aaron and the other kids let out a collective cry of shock and terror when the scary man savagely hit Danielle across the face with the gun. She fell to the floor and lay there very still.

'Is she dead?' Aaron wondered, as the icy grip of terror gripped his heart.

"You only do whatever we tell you," the scary man yelled at her. He turned to his partner and added, "And as for the rest of these whining brats, shoot one of them--that should shut the rest of them up!"

Aaron's eyes grew wide as the scary man came over to him and the other kids with his big gun drawn. When he aimed it at them, all Aaron saw was that large muzzle. And, for the first time in his young life, he wondered if dying would hurt….

"Eenie meenie minie moe," the scary man said in an creepy calm tone. He waved the gun around at each of the children. "Catch a tiger by the toe…."

But Aaron didn't even notice him. Instead he stared in amazement at the strange shadowy shape that arose from behind the scary man. The shadowy shape had red eyes, and little pointed tips on its head, as it reached out for the scary man with what looked like a pair of claws.

"If he hollers, let him--URK!" The scary masked man ceased his sadistic choosing chant once the shadowy thing effortlessly embraced him from behind in a head lock that Aaron had seen wrestlers use on TV.

The scary man dropped his gun as he tried to fight back, but the shadowy thing--who had what looked like large leathery wings--held onto him firmly. One of his arms was wrapped around the scary man's neck, and no matter how hard the scary man fought, the shadowy thing would not let go.

Then, the scary man let out a gasping, wheezing sound, and his whole body went limp. The shadowy thing released him, letting the scary man fall to the floor. And Aaron saw that the shadowy thing was actually some kind of a large bat.

"What's taking you so long?" the second scary man--the one who hurt Danielle--said as he came over. "Just shoot one of these little--"

Aaron watched, awed, as the shadowy bat thing punched the second scary guy in the face. The blow made the scary guy spin around as he fell right to the floor. Then Aaron was further stunned to see a third scary guy, who guarded the adults in the other room, get his lights punched out by another man. He was dressed in a red and yellow outfit, with an 'R' on one side of his chest. When he knocked out his bad guy, the guy with the 'R' bent down to look at Danielle.

The shadowy bat thing was now hunched over the man whom he had just punched. He held him up so they were face to face. "How many of you are there?" the shadowy bat thing asked in a cold whisper. "And don't lie to me, unless you want to be carried out of here on your back."

"F-Five," the scary man replied--only he didn't look so scary to Aaron now. In fact, he looked more terrified than Aaron felt. "T-There are f-five of us. P-Please, I-I know w-who you are, and I don't--"

The shadowy bat thing just punched his lights out, then tossed his limp body to the floor. The guy with the 'R' on his chest looked up from his examination of Danielle and said, "She's out cold, and bleeding badly."

"Get them out of here," the shadowy bat thing told him. "The other two are mine."

The shadowy bat thing went down a darkened hallway, where to Aaron, it looked as if he melted into the darkness. Aaron wasn't sure if he was in awe or scared to death of that thing…whatever it was. He was just grateful that it decided to pick on just the scary bad guys.

The guy with the 'R' on his chest got the adults to get up, and two of them, Becky's dad and Pete's older brother, picked Danielle up and carried her over to where Aaron and the rest of the kids were.

"Ok, guys," the man with the 'R' on his chest said. Aaron saw that he also wore a mask, but unlike the scary men, he seemed like he was a good guy. "Everybody get up and hold hands; we're all going out the back, in single file, ok?"

"But what about the other guys?" Pete nervously asked, as they did what they were told. "The other two bad guys?"

The masked man with the 'R' on his chest gave him a broad grin. "I wouldn't worry about those guys. My friend will take care of them."

'Whoa, they're dead meat!' Aaron thought.

**B&B**

Commander Preen took the phone from one of her subordinates. "Yes. This is Commander Preen of the Gotham City SWAT team." After a pause, she added, "You should know that we have the place surrounded, and--"

She stopped speaking and listened again for a moment. Then she held up the phone and said, "He will only speak to you, sir."

Gordon held out his hand. "Give it here."

As Preen gave him the phone, she whispered, "It would be nice if we got a some sort of a sign from the Batman, sir. So far, it looks like we're on our own in dealing with this situation."

"Give it time, Commander," Gordon muttered. Then he raised the phone to his ear and identified himself.

Once he did that, the deluded maniac on the other end of the line began making his demands. "I want a fully fueled jet waiting for us at Gotham International Airport! And I want a bus to be waiting outside the restaurant to take us to the airport! Oh, and bear in mind, Commissioner, that for every hour that I have to wait for this to be done, I shall kill one of the--HOLY JESUS CHRIST, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING??!!!"

When the man abruptly began to scream in a shrill manner, Gordon held the phone away from his ear and held it up for the others.

Montoya cursed in Spanish as she stared at the phone in horror. "Is that the hostages?"

"No," Gordon calmly replied. "It's the hostage takers."

Bullock grinned broadly. "Sounds like Bats made his move, huh?"

Gordon nodded. "Commander, you wanted a sign from the Batman. Well, here it is. Get your people ready to move in."

"Yes sir," Preen said with an impressed look.

**B&B**

As he went for the last two, Batman switched off his infra-red, which reverted his vision back to normal sight. The remaining two hostage-takers were out by the front doors, which--despite all of the shades having been drawn--was still the brightest room in the restaurant, thanks to the massive police spotlights that shone in from outside.

The first thug went down with just a quick kick to the stomach and a karate chop to the back of the neck. Batman paused momentarily to gaze at the remaining punk. Judging from the demands that he was making on the phone, this remaining scum sounded like the leader.

Batman dove straight at him.

"Oh, and bear in mind, Commissioner," the thug smugly said into the phone, "that for every hour that I have to wait for this to be done, I shall kill one of the--HOLY JESUS CHRIST, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING??!!!"

The thug started screaming in a high, shrill tone until Batman slugged him hard across the face, knocking him to the floor--where he dropped the phone and continued to scream hysterically at Batman like the little bitch that he truly was.

Batman grabbed him by the lapels and hauled him up so that they were face to face. The man stopped screaming and started blubbering. "This isn't right…you're not supposed to be here…it wasn't supposed to be like this…y-you're being hunted; they're hunting you…y-you're not supposed to be here…."

"Listen to me, you little punk _bitch_," Batman snarled at him. "The devil himself could send all the demons of hell after me, and it _still _wouldn't matter. Because here, in Gotham City, _I_ am the hunter and scumbags like you are my prey. Do you understand?"

"Y-Yes," the man whined. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to go back home and crawl into bed with the covers pulled over his head.

Batman nodded. "Good, be sure to pass the word to all your little friends at the county jail when you see them."

The Dark Knight then flung him straight through one of the plate glass windows.

**B&B**

"Oh, my," Montoya said with a smile, as they watched somebody go sailing through one of the restaurant's massive windows.

The drawn shade in the window had wrapped itself around the hapless man as he crashed through, protecting him from the worse of the shattered glass. But he landed hard on the concrete sidewalk that surrounded the restaurant, and Gordon figured that had to hurt.

'And it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy,' he thought, grinning.

And then, for just a brief moment, Batman appeared in the smashed out window. He made a quick all-clear gesture--and then he was gone, fading back into the blackness.

"There's your sign, Commander," Gordon told Preen. "Send in your boys and girls."

"Yes, sir," Preen said. But she hesitated in making the call over her radio. "Um, technically, the Batman is also a wanted fugitive. You know that, right, sir?"

"Batman?" Bullock said, with a shrug. "I don't see Batman here. You see Batman, Renee?"

"No," Montoya replied with a shake of her head. "Nada."

Gordon stared thoughtfully at Preen and said, "Commander, if you and your SWAT team find the Dark Knight in there, you be sure and do your duty."

Preen momentarily looked startled at the thought of taking on the Batman. But, being the professional that she was, Preen steeled herself as she ordered her whole SWAT team into the restaurant. Then she politely excused herself to go join her troops.

'Putting her fear of facing Batman aside to get the job done. Brave woman,' Gordon thought with admiration. 'Not that it really matters in any case, because the Dark Knight's already long gone.'

Once he was alone with Bullock and Montoya, Gordon whispered, "We need to meet later--all of us--after this situation is wrapped up."

Bullock nodded. "You got it, Commish."

When Gordon started to dismally shake his head, Montoya asked, "Something wrong, sir?"

"Nothing," Gordon replied. "It's just that whenever I call for a meeting lately, I feel like a member of the French resistance."

**B&B**

"Great job," Robin said, as Batman got into the Batmobile.

"Not bad yourself," Batman replied. He started up the engine, which purred like a tiger. "How's the girl?"

"There was an ambulance waiting right by the rear entrance, she's been taken to the hospital." Robin broke into a broad grin. "I've got to say, Batman, that you really know how to show the bad guys the door--or, in this case, the window."

"He pissed me off," Batman growled. "Threatening to kill children if he didn't get his way--then whining like a sniveling little snot himself once I took him down. He told me that it 'wasn't right' that I was here."

"What did he think all of this was?" Robin asked derisively. "A video game?"

Batman pulled the Batmobile onto Adams Drive. "I think the problem runs deeper than that, Robin. He didn't expect to see me because I'm being hunted by the police."

"Well, he's right in that respect, Batman. We _are_ being hunted by the cops."

"And now it looks as if the criminal element had been emboldened by that fact," Batman said. "Thanks to Cadmus' all-out persecution of meta-humans, crime is now on the increase all across the country."

When he pulled up to the corner of Adams and Miller, Batman stopped when a man who had been standing on the corner abruptly ran out into the street, waving his hands.

"Does he need help?" Robin asked.

"On the contrary, Robin, he's trying to help _us_. Read his lips."

The man frantically pointed down Millar street as he kept saying one word over and over again.

"'Cops,'" Robin quoted him. "He's saying there are cops just down Millar street."

Batman flashed the Batmobile's headlights in thanks as he pulled the car around in a 180 turn and headed back down Adams.

"This is really getting ridiculous," Robin said, as he gazed up at the Bat-signal in the sky. "That's the third time it's been lit up tonight. Looks like Inspector Curnow's getting very lonely."

"She's going to have to get used to dealing with disappointment," Batman said, as he drove them out of the city. "Meanwhile, we need to deal with this present situation, Robin. It's festered long enough."

Robin glanced over at him with surprise. "You think it's time to finally take on Cadmus?"

"No, I think it's time to finally take _down_ Cadmus," Batman said firmly.

**B&B**

"Damn it," Inspector Leslie Curnow muttered.

She stood alone on the roof of the headquarters of the Gotham City Police by the side of the Bat-signal--well, she wasn't really alone. A fully armed--and well armored--SWAT team also kept her company. The SWAT team members, who were all hand-picked for their jobs by her, were all well hidden within the nooks and crannies of the rooftop, with their rifles aimed at the night, primed and ready for the arrival of the Dark Knight.

But Leslie knew he wasn't coming. In fact, it was very likely that Batman wasn't ever going to answer the Bat-signal. She angrily switched the spotlight off, then waved her hands at the hidden SWAT team.

"That's it!" she called to them. "Let's wrap it up for the night."

Donald Julio, the commander of the SWAT unit attached to the ABS--the Anti-Batman Squad; which Curnow ran--emerged from behind the massive air conditioning unit. "I don't think he's ever going to answer that thing, Inspector."

"I know. We need to change our tactics in dealing with the Bat." Leslie gave one final glance at the Bat-signal. "Destroy it, Donnie. It's of no further use to us, anyway."

As her SWAT team began to dismantle the Bat-signal, Leslie answered her cell phone. It turned out to be a text message from a Mr. Owens, which simply read: 'Need update on rodent problem.'

Leslie groaned inwardly. 'Mr. Owens' was the public handle for her boss--General Hardcastle, who was her real boss; not the traitorous Commissioner Gordon, whom she'd merely been pretending to take orders from.

Judging from the number of messages from Hardcastle that she'd been receiving, the folks at Cadmus must be getting impatient for results regarding her apprehension of the Batman.

'Rodents still a problem,' she texted back. 'Will now switch to new methods.'

As Leslie sent that message to Hardcastle, she hoped it would placate him for now. As for Leslie and her team, she realized that it was time to go on the offensive. "It's time to take the fight right to the Dark Knight," she told herself resolutely. "Starting tomorrow night."

**B&B**

As the Batmobile left the city limits, it was spied upon by a dark-clad figure from a rooftop. To anyone viewing this man, with his entire body covered in black, save for the slit across the face that exposed his eyes, he would appear to be a ninja. And they would be wrong. As the dark-clad man viewed the Batmobile through his night vision goggles, he was impressed at the sleek design of the vehicle, and the fact of how it didn't make a sound. Once the Batmobile left the bridge on the other side of the river, the running lights on the vehicle switched off, and it blended into the surrounding darkness.

'So the Batman thinks he can avert prying eyes by switching off his running lights, eh?' the man thought, with a smug smile. He flicked a switch on his goggles, which transformed them to infra-red. 'But he can't escape my thermal--_what?!_'

The man was stunned as he stared up and down the more than half dozen exits to desolate roads that led from the bridge to the outlying rural areas, and saw absolutely nothing. Apparently, he had just discovered the hard way that, in addition to running silent, the Batmobile also had no heat signature whatsoever.

'Hope the mistress understands,' he sheepishly thought, as he flicked on his communications device in order to report in.

**B&B**

The hulking bald man in the Eastern-style clothing nervously approached the petite figure on the sofa. She lounged on the cushions, her feet bare, and casually dressed in a kimono robe. She had a series of photos spread out around her; pictures of their prey, the Batman. Many of the photos were blurry, out of focus, and too dark--showing only parts of the Dark Knight's physique while he was in motion. A hand here; part of his cowl there; his impressive wingspan in another. Yet, as haphazardly shot as these photos were, they were presently the only decent images of the Batman that they could find.

"Yes, Ubu?" she asked.

He took a deep breath and simply told her the bad news. "They lost him…."

"Again?!" she said, as she stood up quickly. Yet she said this not in anger, but in genuine surprise. "We had a man on the other side of the bridge, armed with infra-red and thermal vision, yes?"

He nodded sadly. "And he discovered that the Batmobile gives off no heat, as well as no sound."

"Amazing," she said with a smile. "Simply amazing! What a brilliant tactical mind. He truly thinks of everything."

"Shall I call in the men for the night?" he asked.

"Yes, Ubu, tell them to come home." She regarded one of the pictures of the Batman with a wistful look. "And to think, he was once my father's prized student. My father actually _knew_ him, Ubu; he referred to him as the son he never had--all while he ignored the daughter that he _did_ have. If only I could speak with my father one last time, if only I could just learn the Batman's true identity."

"We _will _find him, my mistress," Ubu promised her.

"Yes, Ubu, we will," she said. "If nothing else, as the daughter of Ras Al Ghul, I have inherited my father's patience. And it shall serve us well."

**B&B**

"She finally turned it off," Renee Montoya said as she entered the Commissioner's office. She had went outside to use the ladies room.

"I'm surprised Curnow's stuck with it for this long," Rachel Dawes said from the sofa. "You'd think that by now she'd get the message that Batman was no longer answering the Bat-signal."

"Dumb broad just don't get it, doesn't she?" Harvey said with a laugh. He sat across from her on in a easy chair. "Ya can't catch the Batman--ever--much less try and call him like a damn dog!"

"She'll come to realize that soon, and change her way of doing things," Olivia Benson said darkly. She sat next to Rachel on the sofa. "She's a former member of the Army special forces, remember? Those people are trained to adapt."

"Liv's right," James Gordon said, as he stirred his tea and came back over to where the group were seated around the coffee table. "It's just a matter of time before Curnow takes the battle to Batman."

"And you seriously think that Bats doesn't know this?" Harvey said. "That he won't be ready for Curnow and her pet SWAT team? I mean, come on, folks, the Batman's taken on tougher SOBs before. Remember the Joker? Mr. Freeze?"

"Leave it to you, Harvey, to set us straight," Renee told him with a smile.

"How did you let Curnow get her own devoted SWAT team, anyway, Jim?" Rachel asked.

"Wasn't my idea, believe me," Gordon said wearily. "I turned down her request when she first brought it to me. Told her if she needed SWAT support, that the regular SWAT units we had would be good enough for her. But then Curnow went over my head, straight to the mayor."

Rachel shook her head. "Didn't Garcia realize how much more power he was handing her?"

"Yeah," Olivia said grimly. "Now Curnow's basically got her own private army within the department."

"And word has it that she's actually crewed it with people from outside of the department," Renee added.

"It's probably filled with her ex-special forces buddies," Harvey grumbled.

"The mayor went out of his way to apologize to me," Gordon said. "But he told me that he granted her request so as to not rock the boat."

"With respects, Commish, but to hell with rocking the boat," Harvey angrily retorted. "We know who and what Curnow really is! We should just let the damn boat tip over!"

"But that's just it, Harvey, we're not supposed to_ know _who and what Curnow really is," Olivia patiently told him. "If we move against her, we'd be tipping our hand too soon."

"What are we waiting for?" Harvey wanted to know.

"The location of the secret Cadmus prison," Olivia answered. "The concentration camp where they're holding meta-humans against their will--without a trial, or without even being officially charged with a crime. Both Batman and The Question, among others, are working very hard to find this place."

"And once it's location is found, we can make it public and blast a hole so wide in the side of Cadmus that they'll have no choice but to sink," Rachel added.

"It's a good plan," Gordon said with an approving nod. He then tapped the papers that were placed on the coffee table in front of them. "But, until that happens, we've got to stick with what we've been doing all along."

"Yes," Olivia said, getting back to business. "Um, ok, we've decided to grant Bruce Banner asylum. But where are we going to put him?"

"I thought we were putting him in the Convex Avenue safe house with the others," Renee said.

"Yeah, well, there's the problem," Olivia told her. "If he should turn into the Hulk, the safety of everyone else in the safe house will be compromised. Now Alex has assured me that Banner has his little problem under control."

"As long as he doesn't get angry," Rachel added, with a doubtful look.

"Yeah, well, Alex says that Banner's doing very well with meditation and all that, and that he's got the 'hulking out' part under control."

"'Hulking out'?" Gordon said with a frown. "First time I've heard that phrase."

Olivia smiled. "I've been hearing all sorts of new phrases like that these past few weeks, sir, thanks to dealing with these refugees coming to Gotham City. But all due respect to Mr. Banner, I'd feel better if we put him in a safe house of his own. That way, if he does 'hulk out,' he won't be compromising anybody else's safety. Alex has spoken to him about this idea, and Banner has agreed to it."

"He won't mind staying in a safe house all by himself?" Renee asked.

"Banner won't be alone," Olivia said. "There's a Ms. Ross who will be staying with him."

"And what are Ms. Ross' powers?" Gordon asked.

Olivia shook her head. "She has none. She's Banner's girlfriend."

"Aw," Renee said with a smile. "Now _that's_ true love for you."

"Nah, it's true insanity," Harvey muttered. "Shacking up with a guy who turns green whenever he sneezes? Unless he's really great in bed. Hey, that might be it! Whenever he 'hulks out,' he's got a really big green--"

"Ok, Harvey!" Renee abruptly said, as she slapped Harvey on one of his beefy arms. "That's enough of that, eh?"

"No, I mean it," Harvey said animatedly, "when he's the Hulk, the guy's got to be hung like a--"

"Harvey," Gordon cut in curtly. "Enough."

Rachel briefly rolled her eyes. "Um, I think we're all agreed that Mr. Banner and Ms. Ross can stay in another safe house by themselves, right?"

"There's the unused apartment on Apex Avenue," Renee offered.

Olivia nodded. "Good, that's where they'll stay, then."

"We're done for tonight, right?" Gordon asked. "Anything else, Liv?"

"Alex's made contact with a few more meta-humans requesting asylum," Olivia said. "But she won't know anything solid for a few more days. So we're done for now, yeah."

"Be sure to thank Alex for me," Gordon told her, as they got up from the table. "She's been doing a great job in locating these asylum seekers."

"I know a better way of thanking Alex," Rachel said. "Why not make her an official member of our little club?"

"You know something," Gordon said with a nod. "That's a great idea!"

"Works for me," Harvey said in approval.

"Yeah," Renee agreed. "I'd vote for that, too."

"Oh, Alex would be thrilled," Olivia said with sincere gratitude. "Thanks, very much, everyone. I can't wait to tell her!"

But Olivia's cheerful mood was later shattered, when--as she waited for the elevator--the doors opened, and she found herself staring at Inspector Curnow.

"Inspector Benson," Curnow said with just the slightest hint of a sneer. "Working late in Commissioner Gordon's office--again? If I didn't know better, I'd swear there was something going on between the two of you."

Olivia wanted nothing more than to tell Curnow what to go do with herself and storm off--yet she wouldn't give the bitch the satisfaction. Instead, she entered the elevator and coolly punched the button for the parking garage.

"What we're doing, Inspector Curnow, is police work," Olivia calmly replied, as the elevator doors closed. "Not that I'd expect you to understand what _that _means, seeing how you're originally from the Internal Affairs Division."

Curnow flinched, as if she had been struck. "Oh, believe me, having worked my ass off to get to my present position, I know full well what police work means, Inspector. And you would do well to pay me the proper respect, Benson, or else I--"

"Or else--what?!" Olivia said sharply, as she turned and stood face to face with Curnow. "We're both the same rank, you stupid bitch. And respect has to be earned. So far, I don't owe you anything."

Curnow stared right back at her eye to eye. "You may not be the same rank as me for very long, Benson. You see, everybody knows you're Batman's buddy. And, as far as I'm concerned, that makes you my prime suspect."

"I haven't heard from him in ages," Olivia said with a smile. It was a lie, but to hell with Curnow.

"Why don't we find out just how much you really know about the Batman?" Curnow said. "I'd like to see you in my office tomorrow at nine am sharp."

"Am I under arrest?" Olivia asked her. The elevator doors opened.

"No, but if you don't show up tomorrow, you will be," Curnow informed her, just before she left the elevator.

Olivia's car was on a different level, and so she stood in the elevator, watching hatefully after Inspector Curnow as she strode smugly away.

As the elevator doors closed on her, Olivia thought, 'She's going after Bruce by trying to get me. Looks like Curnow's changing her tactics after all….'

Her cell phone rang, and Olivia smiled when she saw it was Alex. "Hello, babe," she said, answering the call. "I've got some great news to tell you."

"Are you coming home right now, Liv?" Alex asked. Her tone was tense and a little anxious-sounding.

"Yeah, I'm heading home right now. Why? What's wrong?"

"I can't say over the phone," Alex said cryptically. "Just come home right away, Liv. Please."

Alex then hung up on a startled Olivia. Once the elevator doors opened, Olivia shot right out towards her car. She didn't know what was wrong, but Olivia had planned on breaking the speed limit in a rabid attempt to get home to find out.

**B&B**

"Oh, now, this is exciting," Dr. Dabney Donovan said with glee as a live video feed image of the next research subject appeared on the massive view screen.

General Hardcastle stared in disgust at the corpse-like visage of Victor Fries, A.K.A. Mr. Freeze. Their most recent arrival at the Cadmus facility sat stiffly on the edge of his cot with his eyes closed. Barefoot, Fries was dressed in the basic male prisoner ensemble of a gray t-shirt and pants. His cell was especially equipped with an illuminated heated ceiling that served as a massive sun lamp--which kept Mr. Freeze warm enough so that his body would not grow the skin of ice that encased him all over in an armor-like shell that was damn near impenetrable.

"For all intents and purposes, Victor Fries is dead," Donovan said grandly, as he consulted his notes. "No heartbeat, no brainwaves, nothing. All of the tests we ran on him showed no sign of life whatsoever."

"And yet he still lives," Dr. Hugo Strange added. He sounded annoyed. "It's very odd…."

"How do you account for this?" Hardcastle asked.

"We've detected ice just beneath Fries' skin," Donovan replied. "It's almost as if he literally has ice water for blood."

Hardcastle shook his head. "He's literally an iceman?"

"Fries' body is essentially the same as that of a human being who had been cryogenically frozen," Strange said. "But as to why he's still walking around? We still haven't been able to crack that, General."

'Perhaps we shouldn't even try,' Hardcastle thought, as he stared harshly at the dead face of Mr. Freeze. Out of all the freaks they had imprisoned here, Freeze was the one who unnerved Hardcastle the most.

Just at that moment, Mr. Freeze opened his dull, dead eyes and stared straight at the camera in his cell--right at Hardcastle, who watched him.

And Mr. Freeze's lips split into a broad, malicious smile.

Hardcastle abruptly stood up as a chill slid down his back. It was almost as if the son of a bitch knew Hardcastle was watching him! Then the general flinched violently when he thought he saw movement from the corner of the darkened conference room. "Lights!"

Yet when the lights came on, there was nothing there. 'Damned snowman has got me so on edge, I'm now seeing things,' Hardcastle anxiously thought. 'Enough of this!'

"Kill him," Hardcastle ordered as he glared back at the leering face of Mr. Freeze. "Put this miserable bastard out of his misery right now!"

"How do you kill someone that, technically, is already dead?" Hugo Strange asked him.

"And think of the possibilities, General," Donovan pleaded. "Victor Fries may hold the very key to vanquishing death itself!"

'If that's what everybody will look like as a result, then perhaps we should leave well enough alone,' Hardcastle thought with a shudder. Still, against his better judgment, he nodded. He had orders from above to work with the eggheads, to give them free reign to experiment on their prisoners as they saw fit.

"Very well," he told them. "But from now on, I want the guard on this cold-blooded bastard doubled."

As he turned to leave the conference room, Hardcastle glared at the corner where he thought he saw movement once more.

'Damn job of being a warden to these freaks must be getting to me,' Hardcastle thought, as he stormed out of the room.

**B&B**

Kitty Pride heaved a large sigh of relief as she slumped up against the wall in the adjoining room, her heart pounding in terror. 'That was close!' the little girl thought. 'That was WAY too close!'

She had used her mutant power to step through the wall, thinking that the room on the other side was empty, when Kitty found herself right smack in the middle of a conference of some kind. And that creepy General Hardcastle was there, and he saw her! He had looked right at her!

Kitty had jumped back through where she'd had come from and stayed put in the storage room, hoping that Hardcastle wouldn't come after her. Her power enabled her to go through any wall she wished--but it was a matter of knowing which wall to go through.

Kitty had learned the hard way that this installation was several miles underground when she had tried to escape by going through one of the outer walls. She had kept running through solid rock, with no end in sight, until she turned around and went back. Since then, Kitty had been making her escape by going up level by level--which was painfully slow and tedious, thanks to the multitude of workers who swarmed around this base.

Kitty had taken breaks by sleeping in storage areas and stealing food wherever she could. She didn't know how long she had been here; there was no sunlight, nor were there windows. But after escaping her cell, she managed to make it up to this level--which, from a sign she'd seen on the wall, she knew was the main administration level.

'But this level was still underground,' Kitty wearily thought, as she slid down into a sitting position, with her knees pressed up against her chest. 'How much further can it be?!'

Exhausted beyond the point of no return, Kitty placed her head into her hands and began to cry. She missed her former life at Professor Xavier's school, where she had finally found a caring home with people who loved her. 'What was going on? Why was this happening to us? Where is everybody else?!'

Kitty flinched when she heard a rattling noise just outside the door. She shrunk in fear at the sound--until the thought occurred to her that her friend Logan wouldn't be afraid. Logan, A.K.A. Wolverine, was one of the toughest men Kitty knew who was never afraid of anything. She should take a page from his guidebook.

Kitty took a deep breath and brushed her fear aside as best she could as she got up, went over to the door, and opened it a crack. There was a cart in the hallway outside, with a collectiong of plates containing half-eaten food on the top tray. The meeting in the adjoining room must have broken up, and the steward was cleaning up the refreshments.

The cart had a lower tray in-between its legs that was enclosed by metal doors. Kitty wondered if there was anything inside of that area, because it looked big enough for her to fit inside of. Kitty was startled out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps approaching--the steward was coming back!

'No time to wonder!' Kitty gritted herself as she ran at the cart and passed through the metal door on the side. She was relieved to find herself kneeling inside the cart, with nothing else there.

And then the side door of the cart was flung open.

Kitty let out a shocked gasp--which she'd stopped by slapping both of her hands over her mouth--as the steward stuffed a pile of dirty tablecloths into the area where she knelt. Thankfully, the man never bothered to look inside, or else he would have easily seen Kitty. He just stuffed the tablecloths into the storage bin under the cart and shut the door.

Kitty huddled with the tablecloths, almost as if they were her favorite teddy bear, as she felt the cart she had stowed away on get pushed a long way. As she heard the man and cart get on an elevator, Kitty fearfully wondered if she made the right decision. 'What if the kitchen was located further down, on a lower level? What if I have to start all over again from the bottom floor of the base?'

Yet Kitty decided to remain where she was and ride it out. They left the elevator and emerged into a noisy area where men were shouting back and forth over the din of clattering dishes. Kitty knew she was now in the kitchen just from the smell of cooking food.

The cart came to a stop and remained there. When Kitty slid the door open a crack, she saw there was nobody standing nearby. So she slid right through the metallic door and emerged in what looked like a mini parking lot for carts. Kitty nodded in satisfaction. 'So far, so good.'

Then, when she noticed that the noise had suddenly dimmed in volume, she turned around and saw that the entire kitchen staff--all one hundred of them--had stopped what they were doing and now stared right at her.

Kitty stared back at them in horror. Still barefoot, and clad as she was in her drab gray prison garb, it must have been pretty obvious to the chefs that she was an escapee. And so she did the best thing she could do in this dire situation.

Kitty ran like hell.

A new clamor arose from behind her as several of the chefs ordered Kitty to stop, while one of them kept saying "But she's just a kid!" over and over.

Kitty ran towards the first wall she saw--which was made of concrete blocks. She didn't know where she would emerge, but anyplace was better than this.

She flashed through the wall at her best speed, and when Kitty came out on the other side, she was shocked to feel grass beneath her feet. She glanced down and, sure enough, there it was: a lush green carpet of grass. A glance around showed her that she stood outside, and it was nighttime.

Kitty smiled. 'I did it! I'm finally free of the prison!'

Then she was startled as an alarm began to sound, and brilliant searchlights flickered on as they searched the grounds--as they searched for her.

'Maybe I'm not free just yet!' a frightened Kitty thought, as she began frantically running across the grass.

**B&B**

"Alex!" Olivia called, once she walked in through the doorway of their home. She was almost tempted to say, 'Honey, I'm home!' but didn't. Judging from the grave tone Alex had on the phone, this was not the time for levity. "Alex, you here?"

Alex came out from the kitchen. She was still dressed in her work clothes--which was unusual; since Olivia knew Alex always changed into something more comfortable the moment she walked into the house.

"Are you alone?" Alex asked.

"What? Yeah, I'm alone," Olivia replied. "What's going on?"

Alex then glanced over her shoulder and said, "It's all right. You can come out now."

Olivia was surprised to see a woman emerge from the kitchen with a gun in her hand. Once the woman saw it was Olivia, she lowered the gun and let out a sigh of relief.

For her part, Olivia was stunned to see who it was: Agent Samantha Spade of the FBI. The blonde looked weary and disheveled; her jacket was ripped at the shoulder, and her face was covered with dirt.

"I'm so sorry, Liv," Sam said, sounding as if she were about to cry, "but I had nowhere else to go…."

"Hey, I told you it was ok," Alex assured her, as both she and Olivia went over to Spade and comforted her.

As much as she was afraid to know the answer, Olivia still asked the question. "What happened?"

"The situation with Cadmus," Alex told her, with a shake of her head, "it's far worse than we thought."

"They're coming for us, Liv," Sam said grimly. "They're coming for us all…."

**To Be Continued....**


	2. Chapter 2

_My thanks to Ray1, Barbarossa Rotbart, RosalieTheBeautyQueen, RebelByrdie and EroSlackerMicha for their reviews._

**Batman & Benson 5**

**Chapter Two**

"NO!" Martin Fitzgerald cried. "SAM!"

But Samantha Spade could not respond--not with her wrists abruptly having been trussed together by the man whom they called Montana. She and Martin had entered this abandoned building, which was in the process of being demolished, on a tip that a kidnap victim was being held captive here. The moment she saw Montana, who was a member of a criminal gang known as the Enforcers, Sam quickly pulled out her gun--only to watch helplessly as Montana expertly lassoed her wrists together with a length of rope.

Sam still held the gun in her bound hands, yet before she could aim it at the bastard, Montana's partner, Raymond Bloch--A.K.A. the Ox--came up from behind and slammed his body right into Sam's, knocking her off of her feet and sending her helplessly careening over the ledge, the gun falling from her hands. The wall had already been knocked out on this floor, and there was nothing preventing her from falling right over the side.

Except for one thing.

Sam let out a grunt of pain as the bonds on her wrists stopped her fall--but it felt as if her arms had nearly been pulled out of their sockets. Montana appeared on the edge of the ledge, smiling viciously at her as Sam dangled precariously over a one story fall. Then his smile disappeared as Sam heard Martin shout, "Pull her back up, now!"

"Ok, boss, just take it easy," Montana said good-naturedly, as if it were all just a game. He pulled Sam back onto the ledge, and she saw that Martin held him and the Ox at bay with his gun.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Martin angrily told them. "You promised me she wouldn't be hurt! You weren't supposed to hurt her!"

"What?!" Sam cried, stunned, as she pulled her wrists loose of the rope. "You're working with them? Martin, you--?!"

A figure flitted out of the shadows just behind Martin, and before Sam could even shout a warning, Daniel Brito--A.K.A. Fancy Dan, the third member of the Enforcers--gave Martin a devastating karate kick to the back, knocking him to the floor.

When Martin fell, his gun clattered near where Sam stood. She quickly bent down to grab it--only to let out a scream of agony as her entire left shoulder felt as if it had caught fire.

Montana had lashed her shoulder with a whip, slicing Sam's jacket open and drawing blood. The impact, and resulting searing pain, send her shuddering to her knees.

"You stupid bastard," Fancy Dan said to Martin, who lay on the floor in pain. "Of course we weren't going to hurt her! Cadmus is paying us a pretty penny just to set this broad up. But we had to make it look good for _her_ sake, right?" He glanced at Sam, who still shuddered in pain. "But now that idea's all shot to hell, isn't it? She knows everything."

"To hell with it--kill them both," Montana said. "Cadmus can still use the other traitor in their squad to bait Benson."

Fancy Dan nodded in agreement. "Our cover story should work even better on Benson when the other traitor calls her up and tells her that Spade is missing. Hell, Benson herself might even come running."

"Right into our hands," Ox said with a grin. "Cadmus will like that, won't they? They may even pay us even more, huh?"

"You got it, Ox. But first, we have to 'set the table', so to speak."

The big, bulky man effortlessly lifted the half unconscious Martin up in his arms and added, "Over the side?"

"Over the side," Fancy Dan said with a nod. "Blondie, too."

"NO, MARTIN!" Sam cried, only to be lassoed from behind by Montana. The rope wrapped around her arms and torso, and painfully reminded Sam of the gash she suffered in her shoulder. Montana came up behind Sam and held her tightly as she helplessly watch Ox throw a struggling Martin over the ledge.

"Don't cry for him, darling," Montana whispered in Sam's ear. "He's a junkie who sold you all right down the river."

Sam slowly turned her head and stared back at Montana with her best seductive look, hoping this would divert his attention from the fact that she raised her leg and shifted her body into the right position as best she could.

"Montana!" Fancy Dan shouted. "Watch--!"

But it was too late.

Sam stomped the heel of her boot right into Montana's crotch, causing the man to release his grip on her as he bent over in pain. She then started running towards the first door she saw--with the massive Ox in hot pursuit.

Sam just barely got through the metal fire door and slammed it shut just before Ox slammed into it on the other side. As Sam quickly made her way down the steps--pulling off the ropes that Montana had lassoed her with--she overheard Fancy Dan yelling at Ox behind her. Apparently the big oaf had inadvertently jammed the door when he rammed into it, preventing the Enforcers from giving chase.

When she reached the vacant lot outside, she found Martin sprawled on the ground, and a million different thoughts shot through her mind--concern for a former lover; hatred for a betrayer, as well as a dazed confusion at how everything seemed to go so horribly wrong in such a short period of time.

When Sam reached Martin, he was sprawled out on a pile of cardboard boxes, and was still conscious. Yet before she could even say anything, he urgently said, "I'm sorry, Sam I'm s-sorry! T-They found out…about my problem…and blackmailed me into working with them. They promised me that you were only supposed to be scared--scared enough to go to Benson! T-They were only supposed to make you lead them to her. They weren't supposed to hurt you!"

Sam shook her head. "But why, Martin, why do they--?"

"Run, Sam! Just run, and keep running. And don't trust anybody! Cadmus is everywhere."

"Martin, what the hell is--?"

"GO, Sam! NOW!" he shouted at her. Blood bubbled up from the corner of his mouth. "Just get out of here; get out of New York completely."

Sam glanced up and saw that Montana had dropped several lines of rope from the ledge--which he and the other Enforcers now used to climb down to the street level.

Sam gave Martin one last look, to which he said, "I'm sorry."

Then Sam left, running as fast as she could, and crying at the same time. She didn't dare go back to her car, for fear that would be where the Enforcers waited for her. After running down several blocks, and making sure she wasn't being followed, Sam risked the exposure of one of the main avenues. She caught a taxi and told the driver to take her to FBI headquarters. As she sat in the back, struggling to get a grip on what had just happened, Sam received a call on her cell phone.

It was Jack Malone. Her other former lover.

"Are you all right?" Jack somberly asked, when she answered the call. "Where are you?"

"I-I'm heading back to the office," Sam replied.

"Sam, what they're saying on the news is not true, right?"

That gave Sam pause. "What are they saying?"

"That you attacked Martin and put him in the hospital."

"Who's saying this?!" Sam demanded, outraged. "And how?! I-I just left the scene not more than twenty minutes ago!"

"Look, Sam, just come in," Jack told her. "I'll make things right, ok? Just surrender yourself to me, and--"

"Surrender?!" Sam cried. "Since when did I become a felon, Jack?"

"Since the NYPD found Martin and said that he fingered you as his attacker," Jack said in a whisper. "I know you didn't do it, Sam. I believe you. But you've got to come in and surrender so I can protect you properly."

"Stop here," Sam told the driver, who pulled over to the nearest curb. Something nagged at Sam's brain. Namely, the last words Martin said to her before she left him kept repeating in Sam's head--as well as the fact that the Enforcers had mentioned twice that there was another traitor in their midst. Right in their very squad. And as much as Sam hated to even think of it, she could be speaking to that traitor right now. "Goodbye Jack."

"Sam, wait, don't hang--"

She closed her cell phone and paid the driver. When she got out of the taxi, Sam dumped her cell into the first garbage can she saw. Martin told her to get out of the city, and that was what she had planned to do. But, to Sam's surprise, the Enforcers suddenly appeared on the street--all surrounding her, blocking any hope for escape that she had.

"But this isn't right," Sam said, as they closed in on her with leering smiles. "I got out…I got out of the city…."

The very air around them became as black as night, and all Sam could see were the Enforcers, her tormentors, as they reached out for her like a trio of horror movie monsters.

Sam, terrified and helpless, let out a scream--

--just as Olivia appeared before her.

"Easy, Sam," she said soothingly, "take it easy, honey. You're safe."

As Sam glanced around at the luxurious living room, she realized that what Olivia said was true. She'd made it to Gotham City after all. She had fallen asleep in Olivia's home, and had relived the events of the last twelve hours as a nightmare. "Oh, God…."

Olivia reached out and gently rubbed the side of Sam's face. "You're all right, sweetie. We've got somebody here to take a look at your wounds, ok?"

Sam nodded wearily. "Ok."

Alex entered the room with another woman, who was a pretty brunette with long, flowing hair. "This is Jordan Cavanaugh," Olivia introduced her. "She's a medical doctor, and a good friend. She'll look you over, Sam."

"Hello. I'd shake your hand," Cavanaugh said, as she regarded Sam's shoulder wound with a critical eye. "But that might cause more harm for you than good. Why don't I take a look at that in the bathroom? C'mon."

As Sam left with Cavanaugh, something occurred to her. She stopped and said, "Olivia, I forgot to tell you earlier, the Enforcers mentioned there was a second traitor in my missing persons squad at the FBI. I just thought you should know."

Olivia solemnly nodded. "Thanks, Sam."

Sam retreated into the bathroom with Cavanaugh, where she helped her to strip down to her bra and jeans.

"Oh, yeah," Cavanaugh muttered, as she examined the still-bleeding wound on Sam's shoulder. "This is going to need stitches. I'll give you a shot to numb the arm, first."

Going over the events of the past day in her mind, Sam just slowly and wearily shook her head.

"What is it?" Cavanaugh asked, as she prepared a needle.

"I'm just not used to being a fugitive," Sam said softly.

"That's funny," Cavanaugh replied, as she rubbed Sam's arm with alcohol. "Because I'm not used to treating live patients. I'm actually a coroner by trade."

"First time for everything," Sam said with a weak smile. Then her eyes flared as Cavanaugh gave her the needle. "Ow! Don't you have something to numb me for the needle?"

**B&B**

"Sweet Jesus," Alex murmured, as she joined Olivia in the kitchen. "That poor woman's been through hell! Did you see the bruises on her wrists?!"

Olivia nodded uneasily. She couldn't shake the nagging feeling that the meat grinder that Sam had been put through was all her fault. After all, the Cadmus bastards were trying to use Sam to get to Olivia. And there was something else that unnerved her.

"She said that Cadmus placed _another_ traitor in her unit," Olivia said. "How do we know they didn't do the same thing with us?"  
Alex's eyes widened behind her glasses. "You mean Curnow might not be the only Cadmus mole in Gotham City?"  
"And I don't mean the members of Curnow's private little SWAT team, either," Olivia said with a nod. "But another insider mole. It's something we have to keep in mind," Olivia said."

"Wouldn't The Question warn you about him, or her, as well?"

"Yeah, he would. I should try and get in touch with--" Olivia was interrupted when her cell phone rang. She answered it, and it turned out to be Bruce.

"Put the news on, sis," he said. "Right now."

Olivia switched on the small TV they had in the kitchen, and was shocked to see a picture of Samantha Spade with 'WANTED' written on the bottom.

"Once again, the top news story," the newscaster, Summer Gleason, said. "FBI agent Samantha Spade is wanted for questioning regarding the brutal assault of her partner, Agent Martin Fitzgerald. Agent Fitzgerald remains in guarded condition at Lennox Hill hospital. And we have just been informed that the manhunt for Agent Spade has now been broadened to outside the New York Tri-State area."

"Dear God," Olivia muttered in disgust.

"I know she's a good friend of yours, Liv, and thought you should see it," Bruce told her.

"Yeah, um, thanks," Olivia said, as she thought fast. She knew it wasn't safe for them to speak about "business" on an open line like this. "That's a real shame. I hope Sam's all right, wherever she is. Oh, Bruce, I meant to tell you: Alex and I found that stray cat!"

There was just the slightest of a pause on his end. "Really?"

"Yeah, she just showed up on our doorstep. She's injured, poor thing, but we've got a vet taking a look at her, now." As much as Olivia hated reducing Sam and her situation to that of a stray pet, it was the only cover story she could think of giving out on this open line.

"That's great, Liv," Bruce replied. "Listen, why don't you and Alex come spend the next few days with us? I'll be out of town for a while, and I know Rachel would love the company. And bring the cat with you. I'd love to meet her, too."

"Sure, Bruce, that would be great. Uh, when would be a good time to come over?"

"Just come over right now, if you want."

"Ok, thanks, Bruce," Olivia said. After she bid him farewell for now, she hung up. "Bruce wants us to stay over at Wane Manor for a few days."

Alex looked surprised. "What about Sam?"

"She's coming with us." When Alex gave her a surprised look, Olivia added, "Hey, can you think of a safer place for Sam to stay than Wayne Manor?"

**B&B**

Kitty ran as fast as she could. But it was to no avail.

The area surrounding the Cadmus base was flat, open ground as far as she could see; and although the moon offered some faint light, the darkness shrouded the far distance in black, denying Kitty any hope of at least seeing how much further she had to run before she reached the safety of a forest--or, better yet, that of a town.

Out here, in the broad, clear ground, her mutant power was of little use to her--unless she wanted to drop down into the ground. But Kitty was too afraid to do that; she feared she would solidify within the earth, and it would become her tomb.

And so she just ran. She had run for so long that her legs felt like lead weights, and her bare feet were cold and numb. She stopped to take a break, and involuntarily fell over on her hands and knees. And it was there, while she sucked in large gasping breaths, that Kitty heard them.

She glanced behind her and saw a long line of men with flashlights coming toward her. Behind them, in a straight line were large military trucks. There was also something else, something that frightened Kitty to her very core: the rabid barking of large dogs. They were coming for her in force--and the most shocking aspect of this situation to Kitty was that her pursuers weren't even in a hurry. It was almost as if they knew she was an easy target, and so they took their time.

Kitty forced herself to get back on her feet again and run some more, yet she was just too exhausted and soon fell back down to her knees again. No help was coming. She was alone, all alone. Her carefully planned and executed escape attempt had been all for naught.

Kitty wearily rolled over so that she lay flat on her back and stared dismally up at the baleful moon that glowed down at her.

"Somebody help me!" she cried desperately. "Please! Somebody--anybody--help me! I don't wanna go back there! I don't wanna go back! PLEASE HELP ME!!!"

**B&B**

Kal-el hovered over the earth at his standard patrol altitude; far enough away so that a large section of the planet's surface was easily within his reach--yet just low enough in the atmosphere to still be able to use his super hearing to listen for cries of help, or other sounds of danger that might need his attention.

However, this patrol wasn't going so smoothly for the Man Of Steel. While he kept his attention focused to listening for trouble, a part of his mind was wrestling with a private problem. He and Lois had a major fight earlier today on the rooftop of the Daily Planet.

When Kal-el had heard that Lois was one of several Daily Planet reporters who were doing an investigative piece on Cadmus, he sought to confront her about this as Superman. He didn't think it was a good idea for Lois to stir up a hornet's nest by writing an inflammatory piece on Cadmus, a legitimate government bureau. Superman had been personally assured recently by General Hardcastle during a meeting at the White House that everything concerning Cadmus was completely above board and done strictly by the law.

As usual, Lois stuck to her guns. She insisted there was something wrong about Cadmus, and that she was determined to get to the bottom of it, whether Superman liked it or not. She pointed out the vast number of meta-humans who have disappeared within the last few weeks--a fact which even Superman could not deny.

"But let's face it, Lois," Superman told her. "Many of these meta-humans are pretty dangerous. Is it so bad that they're picked up and locked away for their own safety, as well as that of others'?"

Lois just stared at him. "Where?"

Superman frowned at her. "What?"

"If Cadmus is so on the up and up, as you say, then where is their prison for meta-humans located?"

Superman glanced down at the floor, shamed-faced at the moment--because, in that instant, he realized that he had no idea where the Cadmus prisoner facility was. And this fact not only chastened him, but it also raised his suspicions about Cadmus.

"Perhaps the location of the Cadmus base is kept secret to protect it from attack," he said. "There's nothing wrong with that tactic."

"Everybody knows where Arkham Asylum is. Hell, everybody even knows where Guantanamo Bay is!" Lois said, driving her point home. "But the location of the Cadmus prison needs to be kept top secret, even from the public?!"

Kal-el suddenly recalled Jor-el's admonishment that he must never interfere in the daily affairs of the people on earth. "Cadmus is a part of the government, Lois," he countered. "And, as such, I am restricted from meddling with the day to day operations of any of the governments on--"

"How could you?" Lois had angrily asked said, cutting him off. "How can you ignore the fact that innocent people are being dragged away from their homes, their families--all in the name of security and safety? You, who so proudly fights for truth, justice and all that…how could _you_ just turn a blind eye to the clear case of fascism that's being practiced right here, in your adopted country? Evil is evil, Superman--no matter where it springs up, it must fought against. But just because some general pats you on the back and tells you it's all on the up and up, that makes it all right for you!"

As he now orbited high over earth, Kal-el realized why he had been so disturbed. Lois' words had continued to haunt him even now. And he knew why.

She was right.

Kal-el had always taken pride in the fact that he had battled evil, regardless of what form it took, and no matter where it reared it's ugly head. But now the evil had sprouted up around his very feet, and Kal-el had ignored it, because it emerged from within the one place he had always assumed was impeccable: the U.S. government. Yes, there had been dirty politicians, and even presidents who had made the wrong decisions, but the actions of Cadmus were so blatantly--

"I don't wanna go back!" a faint voice cried out from the earth below. "PLEASE HELP ME!!!"

Kal-el's eyes shot open as he mentally triangulated the source of the call for distress. It sounded like a young girl, and she was in serious trouble.

Shrugging off his prior thoughts, Kal-el flipped himself 180 degrees and dove straight down into the atmosphere. He flew so fast that he effortlessly broke the sound barrier.

**B&B**

"There she is," Corporal Fred Marks said with a smile. He and a few others were on point ahead of the line of troops that swept for the mutie.

"What's she doing?" Private First Class Harold Gruenberg asked. "Praying?"

"Like that's going to be a help to her. Doesn't she know that God hates muties?" Marks replied with a shake of his head. He turned to Gruenberg and the other men. "No lethal weapons, boys--Hardcastle wants her brought back alive."

"Yeah, but the general never said we couldn't hurt her a little." Gruenberg held up his electrically-charged baton and stared at it with admiration. "I've always wanted to try this baby out on a mutie…."

He approached the girl, who was huddled up on the ground before him in a fetal position. "Hey mutie, wakey, wakey!"

Gruenberg swung the baton up over his head--yet just when he tried to bash it down on the helpless girl, he was stunned to find out that it would not move. Gruenberg's baton was oddly stuck in midair above his head. Marks pointed at something as he backed away in fear. When Gruenberg glanced up, he saw what was wrong with his baton.

Superman floated directly above him, and he held the opposite end of Gruenberg's baton in a vise-like grip. The several thousand volts that the baton emitted flashed harmlessly against his bare hand.

"This has gone on far enough," the Man Of Steel angrily said. The look of rage on his face, which was intensified by the flashing from Gruenberg's baton, was truly a frightening sight to behold.

**B&B**

As his driver slowed the Humvee to a stop, General Hardcastle nodded at Sergeant Toombs, who commanded the checkpoint in the fork in the road. "Evening, Sergeant."

"Sir," Toombs said with a salute. "I've sent Corporal Marks and his team on ahead to collect the escaped mutant. They're just over this rise. Marks and his boys are pretty green in dealing with muties, so I figured this would be a good experience for them."

"Never underestimate these freaks, Sergeant," Hardcastle solemnly told him. "You should have sent in your whole team and led the capture yourself."

Toombs appeared taken aback. "I apologize, sir. I figured there would be no harm with this mutie, since it was just a little--"

They were all startled by a loud crashing sound that echoed from over the rise. This was followed by the unmistakable sound of weapons fire.

Hardcastle got out of the Humvee and shouted at the men: "Lock and load! And fall in behind me, double time!"

"LOOK OUT!" one of the soldiers shouted.

Hardcastle looked up in the night sky and saw another Humvee go flying through the air, until it landed on the ground with a loud crash. It bounced as it rolled over, then came to a rest up-side down. It was empty.

Toombs urgently pointed at something. "General, look!"

Hardcastle glanced over at the top of the rise and saw about a dozen of his men come running at them in a wild panic. He noted that several of them had the barrels of their rifles bent up, which made the weapons useless.

"Corporal Marks!" Sergeant Toombs shouted at his subordinate, who was just about to run right past them. "Sitrep!"

Marks looked as if he had seen a ghost. "W-We can't fight him! We can't fight him!"

"Fight who?!" Toombs demanded.

When Hardcastle saw a red and blue shape fly up into the night sky, he pointed up at it and said, "Him."

Superman paused as he saw Hardcastle, and he flew lower and hovered directly over the general. Hardcastle noted that the Man Of Steel had completely scared the fight out of his men. 'Just the sort of thing I'd always feared would happen,' he thought.

"Hardcastle!" Superman said, enraged. He carried the Pryde girl in his arms.

"Thank you, Superman, for capturing that mutant for us," Hardcastle said. He knew very well that that wasn't what had actually happened--but to hell with the Man Of Steel. Hardcastle groveled before nobody--not even a super powered freak like him.

Superman nodded down at the young girl in his arms. "Is this the main objective of Cadmus, General? To hunt down children as if they were animals?"

"As I stated to you, Cadmus is making the world safe from the mutant threat, Superman," Hardcastle coolly replied. "I didn't hear anybody object when we locked up Mr. Freeze."

"This little girl is no threat to you, or to anybody else! If anything, _you're_ the threat here, Hardcastle!"

"Be careful, Superman," Hardcastle warned. "Because you're either with Cadmus, or you're against us--and, trust me, son, you wouldn't want to have us as an enemy."

"Once I get this girl the medical help that she needs, I'm coming back here and putting an end to your sick rampage, Hardcastle," Superman sternly said. "Even if it means tearing this installation apart brick by brick!"

"So be it," Hardcastle coldly said, as the Man Of Steel flew off into the night with the mutant in his arms. Then he turned to a visibly shaken Toombs and said, "Get on the horn, Sergeant. I want to talk to Mr. Wizard."

**B&B**

"So are we done for the night?" Chloe Sullivan asked, as she got up from the table and stretched her weary body.

"Yeah," Lana Lang replied absently.

When Chloe gazed at her best friend and business partner, she shook her head in a bemused manner. Lana appeared to be a million miles away right now. "What's wrong?"

Lana glanced up at her with a grave expression. "It's just that it's been so quiet on the Luthor front, lately. We haven't heard anything from him. It's been freaking me out, Chloe."

"Why should it?"

"Because it feels like the calm before the storm, you know? I just can't help but wonder if Lex is hiding out there somewhere, plotting something."

"Luthor is _always_ plotting something," Chloe told her with a smile. "That's why you and I formed this little unofficial watchdog foundation, remember? To keep tabs on him."

"And I can't help but feel that we're missing something." Lana said with frustration. "Something bad. I don't know…maybe I'm getting paranoid, but it just feels like something big and ominous is building up here. Especially now, with all that's going on, lately. With all these crackdowns on the meta-humans…."

Chloe nodded grimly. As a meta-human herself with the power to heal, she had watched the recent crackdowns with growing dread--it was almost as if a noose had been placed around her neck and was now slowly tightening day by day. She had kept her fears to herself, because Chloe didn't want to create any unnecessary worry for Lana--who had enough on her plate as it was.

"And Luthor, being Luthor, will no doubt try and take advantage of the situation," Chloe said with a sigh. "You gotta give the guy one thing: he never gives up! Ok, you wanna go over the last few surveillance files again, and see if we missed anything?"

Lana suddenly shook her head. "No, you go home, Chloe. Get some rest. We'll start fresh again in the morning."

"All right, see you in the morning," Chloe said, as she grabbed her bag from the table. She started for the doorway, then paused to give the place one last look around. "Am I forgetting something?"

"Yeah," Lana said with a grin. "Shoes?"

Chloe stared down at her bare feet with disbelief. "Oh jeez, they're still under the table, aren't they?"

"No," Lana said, as she looked around for them. "I think they're still in the other room."

"I don't know why I even bother wearing them," Chloe muttered, as she began a futile search around the apartment for her shoes. "I mean, after all, I take the monorail from my apartment directly to here. I never even _see_ the streets, let alone walk on them. And there are only clean, carpeted floors all along the ride over here, so I might as well just go barefoot, right?"

When there was no answer, Chloe stopped searching to glance over at Lana, who now stared back at her in shock. "Hey, Lana, relax! I'm just kidding; I wouldn't _really_ go--"

But a shocked Lana pointed at something that was behind Chloe, and when she looked, Chloe was stunned to see Superman had landed on the outside balcony, and he carried what looked like a child bundled up in a blanket in his arms.

As he entered the condo, Superman nodded down at the little girl and said, "This is Kitty Pryde. She needs your help."

"Oh my God," Chloe said, stunned, as she dropped her bag on the floor and came running over to them with Lana.

Superman placed the bundled up Kitty on the sofa. "She's a student from Professor Xaiver's special school in Upstate New York."

"The X-Men?" Lana said with shock. "They were among the first of the metas to be arrested!"

Superman nodded grimly. "Kitty managed to escape the Cadmus prison, thanks to her unique gift, but General Hardcastle and his men had hunted her down like an animal. That was when I found her. I first brought Kitty to Metropolis General Hospital, where they treated her. But Dr. Isenberg warned me that they were required to report any meta-human who showed up at the hospital to the federal authorities."

Chloe stared at Superman in shock. "So you just took her?!"

"Yeah," Superman replied; he was somewhat surprised by his own actions. "I basically just broke the law…."

"You did the right thing," Lana assured him. "You did what was morally right. I mean, my God! Who could imagine we'd live in a world where a little girl would become a fugitive!"

"I'd like for you two to watch over Kitty," Superman said, as he walked towards the balcony. "I'll be back soon."

"Superman, wait!" Kitty urgently said.

Both Chloe and Lana were startled when they saw Kitty sit up and run after Superman. She did this by magically flowing straight through the bundle of blankets, which were still left folded up on the sofa.

"Oh, wow," Chloe said, impressed. "I guess we now know what _her_ power is, huh?"

"Hard to keep that little one locked up," Lana agreed.

"Don't go back," Kitty pleaded with the Man Of Steel. "They'll take you, too!"

"Don't worry about me," he assured her. "If there's anybody you should worry about, it's the folks at Cadmus. Just stay here with Lana and Chloe, Kitty--they'll look after you until I can free your friends."

Superman stood up and glanced back at Lana and Chloe. "If either of you should see, or talk to Lois before I do, please give her this message," he said. "That she was absolutely right. Tell her that I've finally opened my eyes and am now doing the right thing."

With that, the Man Of Steel took off from the balcony in a shot.

"I can't recall the last time I've seen him that angry," Chloe murmured.

"It's rare that he comes across pure evil on such a vast magnitude," Lana replied with a shake of her head. "You know, I always felt uneasy about Cadmus. I wasn't sure about them. But to now to actually hear about the things they're doing--"

"Uh, let's put aside the grim talk for the moment," Chloe said, as she discreetly gestured at Kitty. The young girl still stood staring worriedly out the window. Chloe came up from behind and gently placed her arms across Kitty's shoulders. "How would you like some hot chocolate, Kitty?"

Chloe received another shock as Kitty walked out of her embrace by moving right through her arms. "Thanks," the girl said politely, "but I'd rather stay here, and keep watch for Superman."

"Um, sure, sweetheart!" Chloe fought off an involuntarily shudder as she quickly examined her arms, which felt solid again. She turned to Lana and whispered, "She's really worried about Clark taking on Cadmus, huh?"

"The things she must have seen in that place probably terrified her beyond belief," Lana said somberly. "It makes me wonder, if _we_ knew what she knew about Cadmus, wouldn't we be just as nervous for Clark's safety, too?"

Chloe felt another shudder flit through her body as she stared out at the night sky and thought, 'Be careful, Clark, please…'

**B&B**

Kal-el returned to the field where he had rescued Kitty from the troops. As he hovered over the area, he saw that the troops, along with Hardcastle, were all gone--just as he expected.

'But if they think they can hide from me that easily, they're seriously mistaken,' Kal-el thought, as he began to scan the ground with his x-ray vision. Judging from where he had found Kitty, he figured the base shouldn't be too far--and the chances were very good that it might be underground.

'And there it is,' Kal-el thought with satisfaction, as his x-ray vision revealed an immense, underground complex with many levels that was teeming with personnel. Then he saw the prison cells, and Kal-el became disgusted at the sight of what looked like hundreds of people--all clad in the same plain gray prison garb that Kitty wore--who were incarcerated. And far too many of them were children.

'Children!' Kal-el thought, enraged. 'Well, this nightmare ends right now.'

Kal-el let out a scream of agony as he was unexpectedly hit with a blast of what felt like red sun radiation. He tried to fly out of the line of fire, only to be hit from another direction, and then a third. He had been caught in a crossfire of red sun laser cannons--all of which had now fired on him with pinpoint accuracy.

'Hardcastle, I've underestimated you,' Kal-el thought weakly, as he fell from the sky. When he landed, the last Son of Krypton had been so numbed by the red sun radiation that he barely felt the impact.

The troops had retuned then. They swarmed over him; some glancing down at him with impressed looks, while others merely sneered at him as if he were nothing but another captured prey.

Hardcastle appeared, and he turned back to someone and said, "You're as good as they say, Mr. Wizard."

Lex Luthor stepped out beside Hardcastle, and gazed down at the stricken Kal-el with glee. "I always try to live up to my high standards, General."

Behind him, Mercy Graves gave the General an annoyed look. "He just delivered you Superman. Maybe now, you can finally give Mr. Luthor the proper respect by calling him by his rightful name!"

"The good General can call me whatever he wants, Mercy," Luthor said, as he hunched over the weakened Kal-el. "I know he's just feeling frustrated, because _he_ knows he needs me more than he cares to admit. Hello, Superman. _You'll_ be happy to know that I was so looking forward to our meeting tonight that I have brought a little present for you."

Kal-el cringed in renewed pain when Luthor held a Kryptonite shard over his body. "Just a little memento from your home world, to help welcome you to your new home on this world."

"You won't…win, Luthor," Kal-el managed to say in the barest of whispers.

"Oh, but Superman," Luthor said, smiling, as he placed the Kryptonite on Kal-el's chest--right in the center of the 'S' symbol. "We already have won!"

That was the last thing that Kal-el heard, just before he blacked out.

**B&B**

When Olivia and Alex brought Sam over to Wayne Manor, Olivia kept watching the FBI woman. And she saw that Sam--while polite enough to Bruce and Rachel--was still very much on edge; as if she wasn't completely sure she could trust these people.

"You're the district attorney of Gotham City," Sam said to Rachel at one point. "Why are _you _helping me?"

"Let's just say that we like helping strays," Bruce told her with a smile.

"Well, to be more succinct," Rachel added, with a look of admonishment at Bruce, "this is a vastly different situation than what I usually come across in my day to day job. Cadmus is turning out to be a vastly different enemy than what I've faced. And you're the latest in a long list of people who've been victimized by them. Because of this, I've chosen to take a stand against them."

"We all have," Olivia said. "Pretty much the entire Gotham City government, straight up to the mayor, are against what Cadmus has been doing. You're safe here, Sam."

That eased her mind somewhat. But it was Alfred, God bless him, who finally got through to Sam. The butler had entered with a tray of food that he had prepared especially for Sam. And despite her initial protestations that she wasn't hungry, Sam discovered she was ravenous once she took a bite of the meal that Alfred had made for her. The food had lifted her spirits to the point where Sam could tell them her story--what she'd been through within the last day--in far more detail.

After she was finished, they'd gathered around the TV set in the massive living room and watched the news, which featured noted attorney and civil rights advocate Elijah Trellis, who stood speaking on the steps outside of a Gotham City courthouse. He spoke eloquently of the need to halt the disappearances of American citizens--citizens whom he claimed were abducted by the Cadmus group. Trellis further stated that he would be working with the ACLU to file a lawsuit against Cadmus over their use of what he called 'fascist tactics'.

"I wish him the best of luck," Rachel murmured. Then she chuckled at something. "You know, I've crossed swords with Trellis on many occasions in the courtroom. And there had been times when I even cursed his very existence. And now, here I am cheering the guy on! How'd did it ever come to this?"

"Times have changed, Miss Rachel. We all now face a common enemy," Alfred told her.

Olivia nodded at Trellis on the TV. "Do you think he'll be successful?"

Rachel shook her head. "No. Unless he has hard evidence of the existence of Cadmus, the lawsuit doesn't look good. Which won't stop Trellis, but it'll be a hard fight. As long as Cadmus remains a specter organization, it's out of the reach of the law, and even lawsuits."

'But it's not out of the reach of _all _of us,' Olivia thought, as she glanced over at Bruce. She wished they could openly discuss their tactics, but they couldn't--not with Sam right here. It was hard for Olivia to sit just a few feet away from Bruce and not even openly mention his winged alter-ego, but Bruce and Rachel were taking a tremendous risk just by having Sam in their house. Revealing to her that Bruce was really Batman would be pushing it.

Olivia was about to say something when she was abruptly hushed by Alfred. The butler gestured at Sam, who was sound asleep in the big, comfy recliner that Alfred insisted she sit in.

Now Alfred came over with a folded up blanket and draped it over the slumbering form of Samantha Spade. When Rachel and Alex went into the kitchen to get some more coffee for themselves, Bruce gestured for Olivia to come with him.

Olivia smiled once she saw that Bruce led her in the direction of the Batcave. When they emerged within the shadowy sanctum, which was alive with the chattering sounds of bats above and around them, Olivia truly felt safe for the first time that day. The Batmobile and the Tumbler both rested on their respective platforms, and the massive screen of the bat computer came alive once Bruce sat down in the seat before the console.

Olivia pulled up a stool next to him. "I want to thank you again, Bruce. Taking in Sam like this is a pretty bold move for you and Rachel."

"The war is escalating, sis," Bruce said, as he scanned the multitude of screens that displayed the latest news and other information before his eyes. "Rachel and I both knew that this day was coming, and we were prepared to take the next step when it did."

"Have you ever dealt with these Enforcers?"

Bruce shook his head. "No, they operate mainly in New York City, so I've never tangled with them. But I've heard of them. Dick and Barbara have recently taken it upon themselves to start a database of all known criminals for me."

"Hey, I know Babs is at home tonight, but where's Dick?"

"Busy studying for a test."

"I almost envy him," Olivia said with a smile. "God, I'd love to be doing something so mundane right now!"

"Yeah, well, after this test, Dick'll be taking a leave of absence from school," Bruce replied, as he stared at the screen. "It looks like Batman will be needing Robin full time from this moment onwards."

"Why?" Olivia anxiously asked. "What changed?"

In response, Bruce pointed at one of the smaller screens, which showed an image of Sam Spade. He brought it to the center of the main screen and raised the sound.

"And, finally tonight," the news announcer said, "the manhunt intensifies for Samantha Spade, the renegade FBI agent whose brutal assault on her partner, Martin Fitzgerald, has left him fighting for his life in a Manhattan hospital. Spade is believed to have fled the city and is considered to be armed and extremely dangerous. If you should see her, do _not_ approach her! Just call the police."

"Those rat-bastards!" Olivia said, angered. "I saw a news report several hours ago that stated she was just wanted for questioning--now they're making her out to be a goddamn serial killer!"

"This is Cadmus in action," Bruce said grimly. "They couldn't kill her, so they did the next best thing: they've smeared Sam's reputation."

"So she's now no longer a credible witness if she does get captured," Olivia said.

Bruce nodded. "And, Cadmus is probably also hoping that this mad-dog killer image they've painted on her might make a trigger-happy cop just blow her away outright. This was why I wanted her here, sis. Sam will be safe, now."

"She shouldn't have been dragged into this in the first place," Olivia said, with a tinge of regret in her voice. "This is my fault Bruce. Sam had been put through hell because Cadmus wanted to get me."

"No," Bruce replied, shaking his head. He got up and held her in a comforting manner. "Cadmus wants _me_, Liv. They want the Batman. And they're using every method they know to do so by going through you. As I said before, it's escalating. And I'm afraid it's only going to get much worse."

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do?"

Bruce stared back at her with a predatory smile--and Olivia was instantly reminded that he didn't really need the Batsuit after all; Bruce Wayne was an intimidating man in his own right.

"If Cadmus really wants a war with the Batman," he firmly told her. "They're going to get it, Liv. Batman will _give_ Cadmus their war….in spades."

**To Be Continued....**


	3. Chapter 3

_I'd like to thank RebelByrdie for her review last time. It's always appreciated.  
_

**Batman & Benson 5**

**Chapter Three**

The following morning, Olivia arrived at the offices of the Anti-Batman Squad a full ten minutes before she was supposed to. The receptionist, a staid-looking woman who was dressed in black SWAT overalls, glared at Olivia as if she were a dangerous animal who had just escaped from the zoo.

"What do _you_ want here?" she asked, clearly annoyed to see Olivia.

"And a good morning to you," Olivia said cheerily. "I'm here for my nine o'clock persecution by Inspector Curnow."

"Your…_what_?" the woman asked with a frown.

Olivia chuckled. Apparently having brains wasn't a prerequisite in order to be one of Curnow's lackeys. "Inspector Curnow wanted to see me today. Tell her that Inspector Benson is here."

While the receptionist called Curnow on the intercom, Olivia glanced around the ABS bullpen. It was slightly smaller than the SVU bullpen, with a large group of staffers, also all clad in SWAT black, sitting around, chatting and laughing loudly--until they abruptly took notice of Olivia's presence. It was then that the entire group, three men and two women, hushed up as they all glared at her somberly.

While a small part of Olivia had dreaded this--entering the lion's den, so to speak--she forced herself to shut out the fear as she casually strolled right by the gawking ABS staffers and walked up to their main board. Olivia saw that a black and white picture of her was tacked to the top of a list of people that was written out on the magic marker board. Someone--probably Curnow--had written 'most likely targets' on the board, and Olivia was pleased to see that she was at the top of the list, with Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya just below her. Alex's name was next, with a question mark written by it--as if they weren't too sure about her.

Olivia tapped her photo on the board, turned to the hostile group, and calmly said, "You know, this is a really sucky picture of me. If you guys need a better photo, I can pose for one right now for you."

The assembled ABS officers all just stared at her as if she were insane--which was the effect that Olivia had desired. If there was one thing that she had learned from Bruce, it was to always throw your enemy off balance and to constantly keep them guessing as to your true motives.

Curnow entered the squad room with a disgusted expression on her face. "One of our prime suspects is standing right here, and none of you have the presence of mind to hide the Intel Board from her?"

"I'm a prime suspect?" Olivia playfully asked Curnow. "Cool!"

"Come with me," Curnow growled as she led Olivia to an interrogation room.

Olivia followed happily, satisfied that she had already won the opening salvo in their little war of wills. When she sat down in the chair that was pulled out for her in the interrogation room, Olivia noted that it had a broken leg, which made it uneven--a standard interview tactic that she and Elliot had used on perps in the past. She glanced up and was amused to see one of the lights in the ceiling was flickering on and off; another interrogation technique that was so old, it had hair on it.

'She's not missing a trick, today, is she?' Olivia thought with a slight chuckle.

"Wait here," Curnow ordered her, as she left Olivia alone in the room.

Olivia sat and serenely stared at herself in the wall mirror on the far side of the room--which, of course, was a special two-way affair that enabled whoever was on the other side to view her discreetly. There was no doubt in Olivia's mind that she was supposed to sit and stew here for twenty minutes or more, until Curnow figured Olivia was ready to be questioned.

But it was obvious that Curnow was not ready for Olivia. She had spent such a large part of her police career in the interrogation room, on both sides of the table, that Olivia knew all of the back-handed tricks and little mind games by heart, now. To Olivia, this so-called confrontation was nothing more than an amusing game.

She was surprised to see Curnow return after barely five minutes. 'Guess she's eager to play inquisitor,' Olivia thought. Her smile spread into a grin when she saw two of the burly SWAT guys had entered with Curnow. When the blonde took a seat across the table from Olivia, the pair of SWAT goons stood directly behind her with their arms crossed--it was hysterical; the three of them reminded Olivia of a scene right out of a banana republic interrogation room.

"Where's the telephone book?" Olivia wryly asked.

Curnow stared at her suspiciously. "Why? Who do you want to call?"

'Oh, man….' Olivia just shook her head. "Um, no, Inspector…I meant in case you needed something to hit me with."

"You may think this is a joke, Benson," Curnow started to say.

"No, I don't think this is a joke," Olivia primly replied.

Curnow nodded, looking pleased. "Good."

Olivia then leaned forward and said, "I think _you're_ a joke, Curnow. Why am I here?"

Curnow slapped a thick folder on the table. "You know full well, Benson."

Olivia stared at the folder. "And what's that supposed to be?"

"Evidence," Curnow said smugly. "You would do well to work with us now, or else, I shall--"

"Whoops, sorry!" Olivia intentionally slapped the folder from Curnow's hands and slid it off the edge of the table, where it landed with several dozen pages scattered all over the floor.

Several dozen blank pages.

"Is your evidence against me written in invisible ink?" Olivia asked, with a grin as wide as that of the Cheshire Cat on her face.

"You are really in a great deal of trouble," Curnow said in a snooty manner. She tried very hard to maintain the upper hand--despite how easily Olivia kept taking it away from her.

Olivia sat back in her chair. "You mentioned before that I'm the prime suspect. Am I under arrest, Curnow?"

"You are a person of interest in this investigation, and--as such--you are required to…."

Curnow ceased speaking when Olivia started waving her hand at her. "Blah, blah, blah…yeah, right…but am I under arrest, here?"  
"As I was saying," Curnow said with clenched teeth. She now struggled to maintain her cool--which only served to show Olivia that Curnow was badly losing this battle of wits. "You are a person of interest in--"

"Am. I. Under. Arrest." Olivia spoke each word very slowly and clearly. "Yes. Or. N--"

"NO!" Curnow finally shouted in anger at her. "No, you are not under arrest, you stinking bitch! Are you finally going to answer some questions, now, Bat Whore?!"

Olivia burst into hysterical laughter just then. "Bat Whore?!" she cried, in-between giggles. "Jesus, Curnow, is _that_ the best you can do?"

Now Curnow leaned forward. "You _are_ Batman's friend, correct? You're his confidant, right? Stop laughing and answer the damn question!"  
"No," Olivia said firmly, as she stood up. When she did this, the two goons behind Curnow started towards her in a menacing manner--but they stopped when Olivia dropped her hand down by her gun holster.

The men gave each other mortified stares as they realized they were both unarmed. They reluctantly stepped back against the wall.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Curnow demanded.

"I'm leaving," Olivia solemnly replied. "I put up with this charade for as long as I did because I needed a good laugh. But now, I need to get back to work. Because, unlike you and your goons, I'm a real cop with real police work to do."

"This isn't over, Benson!" Curnow yelled after Olivia as she opened the door.

Olivia stopped in the doorway, glanced harshly back at Curnow, and said, "You're absolutely right Curnow: this _isn't _over--not by a long shot."

She then turned and left the interrogation room. As she strode through the ABS bullpen, Olivia walked past Curnow's office, where the receptionist was frantically closing up a laptop that was on her desk. The laptop was unlike any that Olivia had seen--it looked to be made out of a thick, solid metallic silver block which lacked markings of any type, including even a manufacturer name.

The receptionist shot Olivia a dirty look as she quickly tucked the laptop out of sight behind the desk. From the furtive way the young woman acted, it was clear that the laptop was something special; something to be protected.

'Interesting,' Olivia thought, as she made a mental note of it. 'And certainly interesting enough to tell Bruce about later.'

Gotham City Police headquarters was a sprawling, bustling little city in its own right, and Olivia had decided to get back to the SVU bullpen by taking a short cut through the main lobby, which was a vast public hall that even had a newsstand, a few small shops, and a small cafe. She waved at some of the boys and girls working the massive front desk--then stopped when she heard her name being called.

The person who called her was a man, and he sounded oddly familiar. When she turned to see who it was, Olivia found herself standing face to face with Jack Malone.

"Look, I'll just cut through the B.S. and ask you straight up," the FBI agent said. He looked very haggard. "Where's Sam?"

"I was about to ask you the same question," Olivia said, never missing a beat. "She's all over the news as a wanted felon! What the hell happened, Jack?"

"What happened, Liv? That's what I've been trying to find out since last night. I know you and Sam are close. And I know that she would have come here, to you, if anything ever went wrong. I'm just trying to do what's right by her, that's all. Same as you. So, if you know anything, Liv, you really need to step up now and tell me."

'I don't frigging believe this,' Olivia thought, shaking her head. 'I just walked out of one interrogation and right into another!'

"I don't know where Sam is," Olivia lied. "Honestly."

Malone just nodded. He was a hard man to read; Olivia couldn't tell if he really bought her lie. "I see. But, if you _did_ know, and were helping to hide Sam, you probably wouldn't tell me anyway."

Olivia just shrugged helplessly at him. "I don't know what to tell you, Jack. I said I didn't know where she was--either you accept that, or you don't."

He came closer to her. "Look, if you _are_ protecting Sam, then good for you," he said, sotto voce. "But I've been leading my own little investigation on the side, and you should know something. Sam and Martin were assaulted by a group known as the Enforcers--and I've just found out that they're here, in Gotham City, right now. They're looking for Sam, Liv; they're looking to finish her off."

Olivia gazed steadily at him as her mind raced. Malone could truly be on the level in that he wanted only what was best for Sam--or, he could be the second traitor in Sam's squad; that would explain how he knew about the Enforcers; because he was working with them. As much as Olivia genuinely liked Malone as a person, for Sam's sake, she just couldn't take the chance.

"Then I hope that Sam's in a very safe place right now," Olivia said evenly. "Because it looks like everybody's out to get her."

"Not everybody, Liv," Malone said, sounding frustrated, as he stormed away. "Not everybody…."

Olivia watched as Malone met up with two other people--a dark haired man and a black woman. As he spoke to them, he dismissively waved his hand. Did that mean that he was telling them that Olivia was of no help? Or was Malone the traitor informing Sam's would-be killers that this trail led to a dead end?

'Damn, this paranoia is a killer!' Olivia thought, as she resumed her walk back to the SVU. 'I wonder how Munch lives with it everyday?'

When she entered the SVU bullpen, Olivia smiled at the sound of laughter as her rookie detective in the unit, Kate Farlane, just shook her head in agony. "That's not what I meant, and you know it, John!"

John Jones, her partner, sat back in his chair and smiled at her. "What _do_ you mean, Kate?"

It appeared as if Kate had just entered the bullpen, as well. The petite woman stood wearing jeans, running shoes, and a hoodie underneath a leather jacket. Her detective's badge hung from a chain from around her neck, and her black hair was pulled back into a sensible bun behind her head. Olivia smiled in approval at the young woman. Kate Farlane had blossomed into a great detective since she joined the SVU at Olivia's behest.

Kate pointed at John. "Look, just say 'car.'"

"Car," John repeated.

Kate shook her head. "See? You don't sound like you're from Boston. Up there, they always say car like it was caahr."

"Hey, John," Andrea called from her desk. "Say 'park the car.'"

"'Park the car,'" John obediently repeated.

Kate shook her head again as she gestured at John and said, "Does this sound like a guy who's from 'Bastan?'"

"How long have you lived in Gotham City, Kate?" John asked.

"All my life. Why?"

"Because _you_ don't sound like somebody who's from Gotham City," John replied with a smile.

"Oh, ha-ha!" Kate said sarcastically. "How do _you_ explain why you don't sound like a Bostonian?"

"Because," John said, "I am not originally from Boston, Kate. I merely lived there for a time. I was born and raised in…New York City."

"Hey!" Mike happily cried from the filing cabinets. "Another ex-pat New Yorker! Just like me and the boss! You a Yankees fan, John?"

"Mets," John replied with a shake of his head.

"The Gotham Knights will wipe the both of them off the map," Kate proclaimed, which made everybody in the bullpen start hooting and hollering at her.

As she walked to her office, still grinning, Olivia thought, 'Kate's been a great addition to the team,' Olivia thought. 'As is John…or should I say, J'onn.'

Olivia wasn't sure at first if J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, could ever fit in with her wild and wooly troupe here at the SVU. But he had done an outstanding job at not only blending in physically with his human disguise, but with his natural charisma and hard work ethic, as well. Together, he and Kate had solved five cases so far--which was a new record, considering the short amount of time the both of them had been here.

Olivia couldn't help but wonder if J'onn had used his powers in the line of duty; not that there was anything wrong with that. Frankly, Olivia would welcome help from a voodoo witch doctor if she knew that would help solve a case. She shook her head, still amazed at the thought that she had a an honest to goodness Martian working in her unit. 'Wonder what Kate's reaction to _that _would be?'

When she saw Chloe Sullivan was seated outside of her office, Olivia stopped short. Linda stood up at her desk and gestured at Chloe. "She just showed up without an appointment, but she says it's urgent, boss."

"Thanks, Linda."

Chloe smiled as Olivia came over to her. "Olivia, hi, I'm sorry to just pop in on you like this--"

"Nonsense, come on in," Olivia said, as she beckoned Chloe into her office. She shut the door and gestured for the young woman to take a seat on the sofa. Olivia sat down in a chair directly in front of her. "How are you and Lana doing?"

"Um, that's what I came to talk to you about," Chloe said, as her smile faded--it was replaced by an anxious look.

Olivia listened intently as Chloe told her about how Superman brought the little girl named Kitty Pryde to Lana's condo last night--then went promptly on the offensive against Cadmus all by himself.

"But, we haven't heard from him," Chloe told her. "It's like Superman dropped off the face of the earth, or something!"

'Oh damn,' Olivia thought. 'Don't tell me that Cadmus had added another captive to its hidden prison.'

"Did Superman tell you where he was going?" Olivia asked.

"No," Chloe said with a sigh. "He never mentioned where! He took off so quickly, we forgot to ask him. Lana and I are still kicking ourselves over that!"

"It's all right; don't blame yourself," Olivia quickly told her. "After all, this was Superman--nobody ever expected _him _to be taken down by Cadmus."

"But he was, wasn't he?" Chloe said, her voice close to a sob. "He's now a captive of them right now. And he's probably in a cell somewhere, badly hurt, if not already de--"

"No, don't do that to yourself," Olivia gently told her, as she took Chloe's hands in her own. "Listen, we don't know for sure what happened to Superman, ok? Um, let me make some calls, and see what I can find out."

Chloe smiled slightly at her. "This was why we wanted to come to you, Liv. After all, you're Batman's Buddy. Uh, which is not to say that you're not a formidable woman in your own right."

"Thanks, sweetie," Olivia said with a chuckle. "Where's Kitty now?"

"With Lana at the hotel," Chloe replied.

"You brought her here?"

Chloe nodded. "The Cadmus agents were breathing down our necks in Metropolis. Lana was able to fend them off for a bit--it's nice to be rich--but then they threatened to come back with federal warrants! We got out of town before we were served."

'Oh, damn,' Olivia thought. The fact that Cadmus went straight to Lana Lang in their search for Kitty was a very bad sign. It meant that there was a very good chance that they _did_ have Superman in custody.

"We need to hide you guys even deeper here in Gotham City," Olivia said, as she got up and went to her desk. "Like I said before, let me make a few calls and get some stuff ready, ok?"

Chloe nodded as she sat tensely on the sofa. She shook her head. "The Flash has retired, Wonder Woman has gone back home, and now I hear that Spider-Man is now on the run in New York. If Superman really is captured by Cadmus, then…well, we're running out of heroes, you know? Hope the Batman realizes that it won't be long might before they'll start gunning for him."

"Oh, I'm sure he knows," Olivia said, as she sped-dialed Alex's number on her cell. 'And when Bruce finally unleashes his inner Bat on Cadmus,' she thought, 'may God help them all.'

**B&B**

Alfred was busy preparing a meal for their newest houseguest, when the woman herself appeared, padding into the kitchen still clad in the pajama bottoms and t-shirt that she wore to bed last night.

"Ah, Agent Spade," Alfred said with a warm smile. "I trust you had a good sleep?"

"Fine, thanks," Samantha Spade said with a shy smile. "Um, where is everybody?"

"At work and school," Alfred replied. "How is your shoulder?"

"Better," she replied. "Say Alfred, where are my clothes? The ones I had on last night?"

"I took the liberty of getting them cleaned," he informed her. "But you are welcome to wear whatever you choose from the clothes that are in your bedroom. First off, though, we probably should change your bandage."

She gave him a skeptical look. "Will Dr. Cavanaugh come all the way out here?"

"No need to call her," Alfred said. "I've had some experience in treating wounds. I'd be more than happy to change the bandage for you."

"This wound is pretty severe," Sam told him. "You sure you can handle it?"

Alfred had a brief flashback to the various wounds and injuries that Master Bruce had suffered, thanks to his 'nocturnal activities.' He then smiled and said, "Oh, I've dealt with worse, my dear. That I promise you."

Samantha Spade appeared to consider it for a moment, until she abruptly shook her head. "No. Sorry, Alfred--and thank you for all you've done--but I really have to leave. Where are my clothes?"

"In the laundry room," Alfred said with dismay. "I shall retrieve them for you. I sewed up the slash in your jacket and shirt. May I ask, Agent Spade, where are you planning to go?"

Her brave façade suddenly crumbled at that point, as she slumped wearily against the counter. "I don't know…frankly, I don't even know why I'm in such a hurry to leave. I don't even know how to clear my name, or where to begin. What am I, crazy?"

"No, you're a fighter," Alfred told her with admiration. "And fighters find it hard to be cared for by others, because they're so used to being the protectors, the warriors."

She nodded wanly. "My last two ex-boyfriends would agree with that assessment--which is mainly why they're my ex-boyfriends." Her head dropped into her hands as she suddenly burst into tears. "Oh, Martin…oh God…."

"There, there," Alfred said, as he came around and offered her a tissue. He could see that Agent Spade may be mending very well physically, but the horrific events of last night had still left deep emotional scars, which had yet to heal. "When last I checked, Agent Fitzgerald was still listed in guarded condition--which can only be a good sign."

"A part of me still loves him dearly," she said with a sob. "And another part of me almost wishes he would die! He betrayed me, Alfred."

"But he didn't--he couldn't--not when it really came right down to it," Alfred told her.

"I know," she said softly. "But he still has a lot to answer for…if he wakes up."

"He will," Alfred assured her. "Because--just like you, Agent Spade--Agent Fitzgerald is also a fighter."

She shook her head with a smile and said, "Please, Alfred, call me Sam."

"Sam, then," he said with a nod. "Sam Spade, is it? It would seem that your parents had some rather fanciful notions when they named you."

Her smile turned into a grin. "With a name like mine, how could I not become a cop, right? What are you cooking?"

"Sausages," Alfred replied. "What I'll be making with them depends entirely on you--I assume you're no longer leaving?"

"No," Sam replied, as she absently rubbed her growling stomach. "I'm staying…if you'll have me, that is."

Alfred smiled at her. "We wouldn't have it any other way, Sam."

**B&B**

"Mulder!" Langly cried. "You bring food!"

"We bring nourishment," Fox Mulder confirmed, as he and Dana Scully entered the darkened headquarters of the Lone Gunmen. He placed the two pizza boxes down on the first table he encountered.

"Hope they aren't squished," Frohike muttered, as he looked up from his computer screen. The fur-covered vest he wore made him look like a geeky barbarian. "I hate squished pizza."

"You're very welcome!" Scully sarcastically told him.

"Don't mind him," the dapper Byers said to her. "He and Langly have been at it for the better part of the day, now."

"Any luck?" Mulder asked.

"Nada," Langly replied despondently. "This Cadmus group is pretty hardcore; they show up virtually overnight, kidnap more than half the meta-humans in the country, and still manage to keep all of their assets well-hidden."

"How can you guys even hope to find them, then?" Scully asked.

"Usually, a black ops set up like Cadus will piggy-back their online operations under the cover of another government agency," Frohike explained. "For instance, if you hack into the Department of Agriculture, you should find the hidden Cadmus database there."

Mulder nodded. "That's been the standard procedure for black ops groups like Cadmus in the past."

"But not this time," Langly chimed in, as he helped himself to a slice of pizza. "Frohike and I have been hacking into every government mainframe we could find, and so far, there's been nothing about Cadmus--not even any phantom databases. It's like these guys are ghosts."

"That stands to reason, doesn't it?" Scully said, as she accepted a slice from Mulder. "Thanks."

"What do you mean?" Mulder asked.

"Well, think about it, Mulder; this is a group that's been charged with rounding up all of the meta-humans in the United States," Scully said. "And many of these meta-humans have quite formidable powers--some with the ability to easily track down any hidden organization. If I were running Cadmus, I'd make sure we were very well protected in every way possible, going outside standard operating procedure."

"Well, apparently, the person who's actually running Cadmus feels the same way you do, Agent Scully," Frohike said. "Because they are buried deep--in cyberspace, as well as in the real world."

"You have any luck in finding their prison, Mulder?" Byers asked.

"No," Mulder said with an annoyed sigh. "It appears that Cadmus has also diverted from standard procedure by not using either an abandoned or an active military base for their meta-human prison. I'm presently at a dead end."

"Speaking of who's running Cadmus," Byers said, "do we know that for sure?"

Before anyone could answer, another male voice called out: "General Nathaniel Hardcastle."

They turned and saw John Munch standing by the door. The tall, lean detective still wore his customary shades, even in the darkened hideout of the Lone Gunmen.

"Detective Munch!" Byers said in greeting. "Where did you get that tibit?"

Munch gestured to a man who entered with him. "From this guy."

When the second man emerged from the shadows, Scully became alarmed when she saw that he had no face underneath his hat. As she frantically reached for her gun, Scully flashed back to a terrifying vision of watching helpless people being burned alive on a bridge in Pennsylvania by a cadre of faceless men. "MULDER!"

But her partner reached out and grabbed her tightly. "Easy, Scully, easy! He's not one of _those _guys."

Scully stared at Mulder, shocked. "He's not?!"

"You know who I am, Agent Mulder?" the faceless man asked.

"I've heard of you," Mulder replied with a nod. "You're The Question, aren't you?"

"Guilty as charged," he replied, with a little melodramatic bow. Scully saw that he was dressed in a suit and overcoat that made him look even more dapper than Byers--if that were possible.

"The Question?!" Frohike cried, shocked, as he got up from his computer.

"W-We always thought you were a myth," Byers said with equal amazment.

"You are our God!" Langly said reverently, as he began to bow down before the faceless man.

"Is he always this hyper?" Munch asked with a frown, as he pointed at the genuflecting Langly.

"He is whenever he's sucking up," Frohike said derisively. "Langly, knock it off! You're embarrassing us!"

"Forgive them," Langly pleaded with The Question. "For they know nothing."

"You're all forgiven," The Question told him. "But we must get to work. I've been able to confirm that General Nathaniel Hardcastle is indeed the leader of Cadmus--but that's _all _I've been able to find out. We still don't know where the prison is, and I've received word from one of my sources that Cadmus has just captured Superman."

"They took down the Man Of Steel?" Byers said, wide-eyed, as if he had just heard his mother get insulted.

"Oh man," Langly said in despair. "That's just wrong!"

"Then let's get back to work," Frohike told them, as he went back on his computer and started typing frantically. "At least we finally have a name, now, something to work off from."

"Agent Mulder, always good to see you fully dressed," Munch muttered, as he reached in and grabbed a slice of pizza.

"Yeah, Detective, likewise," Mulder replied with a sigh.

"He saw you naked?!" an amazed Scully asked Mulder.

"Not completely naked," Mulder told her. "I had _some_ clothes on…."

"But completely off his rocker," Munch said. "He was babbling incoherently, nonstop. Remember that day, Agent Mulder?"

"Actually, I've been trying to forget it," Mulder said wearily.

"You _must_ tell me this story," Scully told him. Then, with an intimidated glance at The Question, she added, "But some other time. Uh, what's with his face being like that?"

"It's just a mask, Scully. It hides his real identity. With the secret information that he's privy to, and deals in, his life is in danger 24/7."

"So he's a superhero?" Scully asked.

"Consider me a gatherer of knowledge in the name of truth and justice, Agent Scully," The Question commented. "Although, these days, I've been working very closely with the Batman in the effort to take down Cadmus."

"The Batman? You're working with the Dark Knight?" Langly said with a gasp as he looked up from his computer. "Oh, just when I thought you couldn't be any cooler than you already were!"

"Stop drooling all over the floor and keep working your hacker mojo, Langly," Frohike grumbled. "We've got a super secret meta-human prison to find!"

"Um, excuse me," Byers timidly asked The Question, "but the stories about Batman being a real vampire, are they true?"

"Byers, you tool!" Langly said with a laugh. "You _still _believe that?"

"Actually, more than half of the good citizens of Gotham City still think the Batman is some kind of mythical creature of the night," Mulder said, in-between bites of his slice of pizza.

Munch nodded as he finished his slice and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "We've had reports of actual vampire sightings in New York City."

"That's because the government has been experimenting with a special serum that they hope will turn their troops into the ultimate warriors," The Question said. "Warriors with the powers of the vampire. I've discovered that a batch of this serum got loose in the Southwest, and was the cause of the recent 'e-coli' outbreak cover-up story in that area."

"Oh, I just _knew_ that 'e-coli' story was a cover-up!" Frohike angrily said.

"The Nazis were originally working on this vampire serum," Byers spoke up. "But their research was halted when the war came to an end."

"That was when the United States first got their hands on it," Munch said with a nod. "Leave it to Uncle Sam to continue these dark experiments…."

"That's nothing," Langly excitedly said, as he typed away at his computer, "have you heard the latest theory on the Kennedy assassination?"

"Ooo, Scully," Mulder excitedly whispered in her ear. "The conspiracy theories are gonna be coming fast and furious now. You don't know how lucky you are to be here!"

"Oh…wow…." she muttered, her tone dripping with sarcasm, as she shook her head. Scully stood and helplessly watched as this conversation became more and more rabid, with each conspiracy becoming even wilder than the one before--and she found herself almost wishing she _had_ come face to face with the faceless alien rebels once more. That would have been far more preferable than being a captive audience to this geek fest. Scully had a feeling that it was going to be a very long night.

'But if they wind up finding the hidden Cadmus prison, it'll still be well worth it,' Scully somberly reminded herself.

**B&B**

'What a day,' Alex wearily thought, as she rode the el train. 'And it's still not over….'

When Olivia called her earlier with the emergency, Alex had dropped whatever she was doing and came running. 'Good thing Rachel's in on all this, or else I'd be out of a job by now,' Alex thought with a bemused smile.

After she met with Olivia and Chloe at Liv's office, Alex made a call to Marguerite Pena, her second in command, and quickly set up the new hiding spot for them: an apartment on Evans Street. The Evans Street place was an unused safe house that Alex kept on the side in case of an emergency just like this.

They left police headquarters, on their way to pick up Lana and Kitty at the hotel--until Olivia stopped halfway down the street, turned to Alex and said, "You go ahead. I'll see you later, sweetie."

"Why?" Alex asked. "What's wrong?"

"I'm being followed," Olivia told her, as she crossed the street.

And sure enough, Alex was stunned to see two men in dark suits suddenly cross the street at the same time. Although they both wore sunglasses, she could see they were staring right at Olivia.

"Keep walking," Alex told Chloe, as they continued briskly down the street.

"Will she be all right?" Chloe had asked nervously.

Alex smiled slightly as she saw Olivia suddenly duck into the first shop on the street, which was the main entrance to the Gamins Street Market, a major supermarket and eatery with two levels. The agents--whoever the guys in the dark suits were--both stopped short as they dived in through the doors in an effort to keep Olivia within tailing distance.

'Good luck, you morons,' Alex thought, as her heart swelled with pride at how expertly her lover had just dealt her pursuers a mortal blow.

"Knowing Liv, she's probably already ditched those idiots by now," Alex had said, responding to Chloe's question.

Just to be on the safe side, Alex and Chloe had split up. Chloe headed back to the hotel while Alex had taken a taxi to the Terminus Bus Station. From there, she took a bus down the main avenue--until she got out and took the el train to the hotel. It was a jumbled trip, but Alex had wanted to make sure she shook off any anybody who might have been following her. She kept making discreet checks, and unless her trackers were invisible, it appeared that she had ditched them.

Once she arrived at the hotel, Alex met up with Chloe in the lobby, and after she called upstairs to let everybody know they were coming up, they rode in the elevator.

Lana smiled at Alex in greeting when she answered the door. "It's ok," she said to someone. "You can come out."

The bathroom door open, and the little girl named Kitty Pryde emerged, giving Alex a wary look.

But she wasn't alone.

An older, teenaged girl with black hair was with Kitty, holding her hand. The older girl was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, under a denim jacket. She eyed Alex suspiciously. "You sure we can trust her?"

"Yes, you can, Kara," Chloe assured her.

"And who's _she_?" Alex asked. "I was told there'd be just Lana and Kitty."

"I'm their bodyguard," Kara told Alex. She had a pair of the most piercing blue eyes Alex had ever seen. "From now on, where they go, I go."

Alex had to admit, the kid was sassy enough. But it was hard to imagine this little petite thing being anybody's bodyguard.

When Alex gave Chloe a questioning look, Lana nodded. "We'd trust Kara with our lives, Alex. She's Clark's cousin from Smallville."

"That's good enough for me," Alex said, as she removed her jacket.

"So what's the plan?" Chloe asked.

"We wait for the cover of night," Alex replied. "That's usually the best time to move people on the streets of Gotham City."

"You've done this before," Kara said. It was more of a comment than a question.

"Yes," Alex said. "I used to run a women's shelter. You'd be surprised at how hiding women from their abusive spouses, and now hiding meta-humans from Cadmus, calls for pretty much the same tactics."

Kara nodded, having appeared to be satisfied. "Sorry about the harshness--I wasn't sure if you knew what you were doing when I first saw you. I mean, you don't look like much of a spy."

"That's ok," Alex said evenly. "You don't look much like a bodyguard."

"Kara's a lot stronger than she looks," Lana said. "Trust me."

"I see," Alex replied noncommittally. She couldn't help but wonder if this Kara was a meta herself. 'In which case, it's just as well that she's along for the ride,' Alex thought. 'Because, the more metas I can help hide from Cadmus, the better.'

**B&B**

The man in the overcoat and hat emerged from the elevator on the same floor of the hotel where Lana and Chloe's suite were located. He had been in the lobby of the hotel, where he earlier watched Chloe Sullivan go up in the elevator with another blond woman. They were alone, and he almost joined them in the elevator--but stopped himself, when the realization struck him that Kitty Pryde wasn't with them.

And so he remained in the lobby and carefully watched the floor indicator above the elevator door. He saw that it had stopped on the 23rd floor. Was that where the kid was?

He then took the elevator up to the 23rd floor and was annoyed by the number of suites that greeted him. There were too many for him to just knock on each door one by one--besides, doing that might alert Sullivan and the other blonde to his presence; something which he didn't want to do, not until he knew for sure where Kitty was.

And so he pulled out the dog-eared magazine from his overcoat, took a seat on the sofa by the elevators, and pretended to read. But he was actually waiting for them. If they left their suite, this was the only way off the floor, right by him.

And they weren't getting past him. Lang and Sullivan may have given him the slip in Metropolis, but they weren't getting away from him this time.

Not by a long shot.

**B&B**

"Looks good?" Montana asked.

Fancy Dan gave him a nod. He stared at the abandoned warehouse, located in the Iron View district of Gotham City. They had tracked their quarry, Agent Spade, to this area--thanks to the tip from the remaining traitor in her squad. They lost her scent about a block from here, but the hobos who were camped out nearby claimed they saw people around this warehouse; people who really didn't look like they belonged here. After they put the place under surveillance for a while, the Enforcers all detected very faint signs of life from within the supposedly abandoned warehouse.

Fancy Dan knew for a fact that Gotham City had become something of a haven for the freaks whom Cadmus were hunting. And this warehouse may well be one of the safe houses where they were hiding. Spade may well have taken residence in there with them, and even if she didn't, they could always beat up whoever they did find to see what they knew about her whereabouts.

'And if Spade's trail turns cold, then maybe Cadmus will pay us a bounty for finding more of these freaks for them to lock up,' Fancy Dan thought with a smile.

He glanced up with satisfaction at the night skies. "All right," he told Montana and Ox, "it's gotten dark enough; let's move in."

When Fancy Dan gained access for them by giving a side door a karate kick, Ox went in first, followed by Montana. Fancy Dan watched their backs by bringing up the rear. The warehouse first floor was empty, and no matter how quiet they tried to be, whatever small noise they made still managed to echo through the vast hall.

Fancy Dan was bothered by what they found; he had expected to barge in on squatters in a make-shift camp--instead they found a building that appeared to be empty. 'Maybe the hobos were lying,' he thought. 'Maybe _they_ were the freaks who were hiding out. Well, we may just have to go back there and crack some--'

Montana let out a hollar when a shadowy shape emerged from behind a pillar and attacked him.

"Batman!" Ox said gleefully. "I've been hoping to run into him!"  
Yet just before Ox could even tackle Montana's assailant, another shadowy figure shot out and attacked him from the side. Fancy Dan expertly swung around and was about to deliver a roundhouse kick to Ox's attacker--when he was suddenly blocked by a third shadowy figure, who had also appeared from nowhere.

'What's this, a bat-army?' Dan wondered, as he viciously fought with the black-clad man who assaulted him. Fancy Dan had worked hard to learn the secrets of martial arts--a fact that had made him a lethal street fighter. However, his attacker not only held his own with Dan, but he even expertly blocked several crushing blows that Dan tried to give him.

More dark-clad figures emerged from the shadows around them. Despite his martial arts prowless, Ox's strength, and Montana's skills with a whip, there were just too many of them for Dan to handle, and he--along with Montana and Ox--where quickly taken captive.

'These guys are good,' Dan thought, as he--along with his Enforcer comrades--were all bound hand and foot and then trussed up-side down over a large wooden trapdoor in the floor. Dan figured they had been defeated by some of these super-powered freaks, and decided to see if he could try scaring them.

"We're working with Cadmus!" he shouted at the legion of dark-clad figures. They wore masks with just narrow slits for their eyes, making them look like ninjas. "Cadmus knows we're here, and I can assure you that they will raise holy terror once they find out--"

"Cadmus is nothing," a female voice echoed throughout the vast chamber. "Like all institutionalized agencies of terror, Cadmus will one day be just a faded memory in the sands of time."

"Oh, yeah? And who the hell do you think _you_ are?" Dan shouted back. "If you think the Batman's gonna protect you, sweetheart, you're in for a big surprise!"

She appeared several feet away from them, having emerged from behind a pillar with a big brute of a man who was bald. The woman was beautiful, clad in an elegant black dress that clung to her slender body. And yet there was something about her--in the regal manner that she held herself; the fierce look within her dark eyes--that struck sheer terror in Dan's heart.

"I am Talia al Ghul, the daughter of the Demon," she calmly told him. "I fear nothing. And the Batman needs protection from _me_. Dispose of them."

"Yes, my mistress," the hulking brute said. Then he shouted orders in another language at the ninjas.

Ox let out a whimper as the trapdoor below them opened up to reveal a raging, underground waterfall--which they now helplessly hung over. Before Dan could even think of anything else to say, the ropes that held their dangling, tied bodies had been effortlessly cut with the single sweep of a sword.

And they fell.

As he plunged headfirst into the raging waters below, still helplessly bound, all Dan could think of saying was: "Oh sh--"

**B&B**

'Overall, this day has been a total write-off,' Leslie Curnow angrily thought, as she glared out the window of the ABS bullpen. Gotham City loomed before her in the nighttime darkness, a man-made labyrinth of hidden tunnels and passageways going back to almost 300 years, when the city was just a meager village that had been founded by pilgrims. Did those God-fearing pilgrims know back then what a monstrous behemoth of a city their village would become? Or that it would become a haven for freaks and misfits, as well as the traitors who protected them?

"Again, Inspector," Markham said sheepishly from behind her. "We're sorry…."

Curnow nodded. Two of her men, whom she had sent to tail Benson, had returned with bad news: they'd lost her in a supermarket. Just as Benson ran them around in verbal circles right here in the office earlier today, she had then run her boys ragged through a common supermarket, where she shook them off with ease.

But it really wasn't their fault, because Curnow and her people were warriors, soldiers, special forces troops who had been primed and ready to take on and capture the Batman. Combat was their specialty--not acting like common cops, which is what their cover was, and they were all chafing under the pressure of maintaining it. Yet all the while Curnow was here, the Bat-bastard never showed his face--at least not to them. He never responded to the Bat-signal, nor to any other traps that Curnow had laid out for him.

'How can you hunt somebody who keeps hiding from you?' she wondered. 'It was hard trying to fight a coward, and that's all the Batman really is: a coward who skulks around in the dark.'

She saw the reflection of her two men in the window glass; they still stood anxiously awaiting for her next orders.

She turned to them and said, "Don't worry about it. Losing Benson wasn't your fault. Like the coward whom she's protecting, Benson is just a scheming, no-good--"

Curnow abruptly stopped talking once she had turned fully around and noticed the stunning sight before her. The two plainclothes members of her squad also turned around, and were agape at the same stunning sight.

The Batman stood before them, right in middle of the Anti-Batman Squad room. Curnow blinked her eyes, at first thinking it was just an imaginary vision.

But when she opened her eyes, the Batman was still there, staring balefully at her. Despite the fact he stood in a brightly lit office, the Batman's very presence was so dark, as if he were a shadowy nightmarish figure who absorbed light within his very being.

"Good evening Inspector," the Dark Knight said. His voice was a deep, confident rumble. "I hear you've been looking for me."

His cape broadened it almost its full width as the Batman threw his arms out at his sides in a dramatic fashion.

"Well, here I am…."

**To Be Continued....**


	4. Chapter 4

_I'd like to thank Barbarossa Rotbart, EroSlackerMicha, theoldman and RebelByrdie for their kind reviews._

**Batman & Benson 5**

**Chapter Four**

Hal Jordan glanced up at the alien skies, which were purple in color, and streaked with thin, pale greenish clouds. The landscape that spread out before him was an arid, desolate desert. Were it not for his power ring, which automatically created an atmospheric skin-tight bubble around his body, enabling him to breathe, he would easily have died on the surface of this rock. He forgot what the name of this small moon was, only that it had become the main battleground in an epic war that had erupted across the known universe.

The Guardians of Oa had called the entire Green Lantern Corps to arms when a malevolent race known as the Akoi began its terrible campaign, which sought to subjugate the galaxy with its massive robotic army. The Akoi had chosen this dead moon--in the orbit of a ringed gas giant--as their main staging area, where they could advance onwards towards the multitude of populated systems just beyond--and one of these populated systems was the Sol system, which contained Earth.

So far, Hal and the other Lanterns had more than held their own; the Akoian troops had brute force on their side--yet that was also their main drawback, as well. Since they depended solely on brute force to carry out their military objectives, ignoring the most basic of combat tactics, the Akoian troops lost one wave after another to the Green Lantern Corps, who had easily cut them down.

Now it was the calm in between the battles, and Hal finally had a moment to relax, and reflect on what it was he was fighting for: namely all of the peaceful races who were targeted by the Akoi. However, while he knew that this was a fight worth fighting, Hal still missed being back on Earth--especially now, when there were major problems brewing on the home front. The JLA had been in the process of breaking up just as he had left, with the mysterious Cadmus group finally making its move.

Hal's thoughts were interrupted when his burly comrade Kilowog had called: "Here they come again! In the canyon!"

Hal glanced down at the canyon before him and saw the next wave of Akoian robot troops advancing towards them--and this time, there was a major difference.

Now they were all painted yellow.

Beside him, Laira's auburn hair flicked from side to side as she grimly shook her head. "It would appear they are finally learning to change their tactics," she said grimly. "I need not remind you that our rings are useless against that color."

"If we can not attack them," Kilowog said with frustration, "then what can we do?"

"Simple," Hal said. "We don't attack the robots, we attack the canyon walls on either side of them, causing an avalanche. We let the rocks do the fighting for us."

Kilowog grinned at Hal as they, along with the rest of the Green Lantern Corps, all took flight to meet this latest assault. "Once more onto the beach, eh, Hal?"

"Actually, it's 'Once more unto the breach' Kilowog," Hal told him, smiling. "But you've got the right idea."

Hal joined in on the Green Lantern's counterattack, using his power ring to carve great holes into the canyon walls above the Akoian troops, which rained rocks and boulders down on the brutish robots. And yet, while he did this, Hal still could not help but think of Earth. He had a bad feeling that there was something drastically wrong back home.

'Probably just my overwrought imagination,' he thought wistfully. 'More than likely, everybody back on Earth is enjoying just another peaceful, uneventful day….'

**B&B**

"STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!" Leslie Curnow commanded the Batman, as she quickly reached for her gun.

The Batman remained as still as a statue, gazing at her steadily, while he stood right in the middle of the Anti-Batman Squad bullpen.

Leslie had glanced downwards for a moment--just a moment; a mere split second--so that she could find her holster.

And that was all it took.

Just as Leslie withdrew her gun from the holster, something slammed into her with such force that it knocked her down to the floor, causing Leslie to lose her grip on her weapon. She glanced down and saw Fred Mauves, one of the plainclothes men whom she'd had been speaking with, lying across her body, completely unconscious. He had attacked the Batman--or had Batman attacked him? Leslie didn't know; it had all happened too fast.

Right now, she glanced up to see the Dark Knight was engaged in hand to hand combat with Marvin Tubing, Fred's plainclothes partner. And Marvin was losing, badly.

Marvin had tried to tackle the Batman, but the Dark Knight had effortlessly dodged the assault and slammed his knee into Marvin's stomach all within one graceful motion. As Marvin doubled over in pain, Batman quickly ended the fight by bashing his fist down onto the back of Marvin's neck, and Marvin dropped to the floor like so much dead weight.

Leslie tried to grab her gun, but it was annoyingly just out of her reach. Fred's unconscious form--all three hundred pounds of him--had kept Leslie helplessly pinned to the floor. And so there was nothing she could do but watch as the Batman reached into a compartment on his belt and produced a small capsule.

"It doesn't matter what you do," Leslie snarled up at him. "You'll never escape justice."

"Neither will you," the Dark Knight snarled back at her with equal intensity.

Then he tossed the capsule onto the floor, where it exploded into a thick cloud of milky white smoke that quickly filled the office.

**B&B**

Inspector Curnow's office was easy enough to find--it was the only enclosed office space in the ABS bullpen--and so while the Batman acted as a decoy and drew all attention to himself in the center of the ABS bullpen, Robin raced up to the door of her office and twisted the knob.

It was locked.

'Damn,' Robin thought, as he quickly scouted the area--then he smiled broadly when he saw that the office was one of these cheap, four-walls-with-no-ceiling jobs. 'Perfect!'

Robin climbed atop a metal filing cabinet and did a flawless somersault right over the wall, landing on his feet within the office itself. Once inside, he quickly began his search. He recalled Liv saying that she saw the laptop being placed behind Curnow's desk, on the right side. When he checked there, all Robin found was a plain veneer panel. He checked the edges, until he came upon a hidden latch that opened the panel and revealed a safe.

Robin removed the special acid pellets that Batman had armed him with, just in case he came across a safe, and placed them exactly where the Dark Knight taught him. Then he stepped back a safe distance and waited for them to explode.

When he heard pounding, Robin glanced up and saw a pair of ABS goons were standing at the glass door. They held their guns up as they gestured for him to come out. Robin saw that the entire ABS squad room was now covered in billowing smoke--which was good, because he should be able to use the smoke to….

'Scratch that idea,' Robin thought, as he watched a shadowy figure rise up, grab the terror-stricken ABS goons from behind, and drag them both screaming into the milky whiteness of the dense, fog-like smoke.

"Whoa," Robin muttered, as he felt a chill run up his back. He'd worked closely with the Batman for a while now, and considered him as both a friend and mentor who had taught him everything he knew. And yet there were moments, like now, when the Dark Knight could still make the hairs on Robin's neck stand straight up. "Glad he's on my side!"

The door on the safe fell to the floor with a thud, thanks to the acid pellets, which ate their way through the hinges and the lock. Robin glanced inside and saw his target. He pulled the bulky metal laptop out and immediately left the office right through the door, which he got open by simply unlocking it form inside the office.

Yet once he emerged from the office, Robin ran right into another black-clad ABS goon, who gawked at Robin as if he were the devil himself. Falling back on a technique that Bruce had taught him, where one confused their enemy by doing or saying something absolutely unexpected, Robin urgently said, "Quick! Take this!"

He tossed the laptop at the man, who caught it with both arms. "Huh?"

Robin then belted the confounded man right across the face, which was enough to send him straight to the floor. Robin caught the laptop's handle and pulled it from the unconscious man's grasp. Then, seeing the man's baton, Robin got an idea.

He grabbed the baton, then ran to the main doors of the ABS bullpen, where Robin shoved the baton in-between the large metal handles in such a way that it locked the doors and prevented anybody else from coming inside. Just in time, too. There were several more ABS goons--along with regular cops--who came running down the hallway just outside the door. Robin did a double take when he saw Rachel standing just outside the doors with Commissioner Gordon, as they both stared back at him in shock.

"Did you get it?" Batman's voice asked in his earpiece.

"Got it," Robin replied, as he darted away from the doors and back into the ABS bullpen.

"Then get into position."

"Already on my way."

Robin ran through the smoke--which was already dissipating--until he came to the last window in the squad room. There, Batman aimed his plastique gun at the window and fired several blobs of plastic explosives onto the glass. The explosion shattered the glass inwards, and it cleared the window for them to gain access to the Batwing, which hovered right outside.

Once Robin got into the spacious cockpit with Batman, the Batwing had already veered off. "Mission accomplished," Robin said happily. "And Liv was right: those ABS boys really aren't that bright."

"That was almost too easy," Batman muttered. "There weren't a lot of cops at headquarters tonight; which is strange."

"I think I know why, Batman," Robin said, as he pointed at a massive orange glow that lit up the night skies to the west of them. "Look over there!"

"Appears to be a major fire in the Iron View section," Batman said, as he turned the Batwing in the direction of it. "Let's check it out."

As they rode over to the fire, Robin glanced down and saw that one of the massive flood canals that ran through the Iron View section of Gotham City was filled with water. 'Too bad we can't just siphon some of that--' Robin's thoughts here interrupted when he saw a startling sight in the water.

"Batman, directly below us in the canal, am I seeing bodies?!"  
"You are indeed," Batman said with a grunt, as he pulled the Batwing into a tight turn right over the canal. "Three of them. And they're still alive."

"They don't appear to be swimming very well," Robin commented with a frown, as he watched the trio of figures writhe helplessly in the churning waters.

"That's because they're bound," Batman replied. "Hold on."

"Just another night in Gotham City," Robin muttered, as he braced himself for the aerial acrobatics to come.

**B&B**

Batman brought the Batwing into a hovering pattern over the three helpless figures in the water just long enough to fire a net onto them from the bottom of the Batwing. They were ensnared in the net, but were still being washed down the drainage canal.

Batman then flew the Batwing further downstream the canal, just before a bridge. The bridge had a narrow concrete pier that jutted out into the canal, serving as a breakwater. As Batman left the Batwing in hover mode, he quickly pulled out his grappling gun as he jumped out of the vehicle.

Landing on the pier, Batman took aim with the grappling gun at the oncoming pile of netting and bound victims and fired at it. Once the grappling claw had gripped a portion of the net, Batman reversed the gun and reeled them in.

It wasn't easy--the water was so choppy that it took all of Batman's strength just to hold onto the gun. But he managed to haul the three men up onto the slanted side of the concrete pier. They were each coughing and sputtering uncontrollably; but at least they were still alive.

Then Batman hesitated before he pulled the bound men all the way up onto the pier, because he recognized the trio from a description that he'd read on the Batcomputer just last night. "The Enforcers, I presume?"

The smaller of the three--whom Batman knew from the criminal file was Fancy Dan--had shook his head in disgust. "Oh great. Just freaking great! You wanted to meet Batman, Ox? Well, here he is!"

"This ain't how I wanted to meet him," the large bull of a man had replied dismally.

"Yeah, you're not exactly meeting us at our best, here," the third man drawled in a mid-western accent. "Although, all things considered, we're much obliged to ya."

"What are you doing in Gotham City?" Batman asked.

"Just minding our business," Fancy Dan insisted. "Honest!"

Batman hauled him up by his lapels and glared at him right in the eye. "Would that include you body surfing the Iron View drainage canal while tied up? Or was this somebody else's idea of fun?"

"W-We were just minding our own business when we ran into this crazy bitch and her army of ninjas. I swear it's true, Batman!"

"Batman," Robin's voice spoke in his earpiece, "we've got cops coming over here! You've got maybe three minutes, max."

Batman pressed his hand to the side of his head and clicked his earpiece twice to signal his acknowledgement. 'Not much time to wrangle information out of this bunch,' he thought. 'But let's see what we can get out of them.'

Then he glared back at Fancy Dan and said, "I'm intrigued. Tell me more about this woman and her army of ninjas."

"S-She was crazy, like I told you. But her boys, they knew how to fight. She hangs out with this big bald guy, a-and she said she was the daughter of the demon--whatever the hell that means!"

Batman was instantly taken aback when he heard that. There was only one man whom he knew had referred to himself as the demon--because his name, literally translated from Arabic, had meant 'the demon's head.'

"Batman," Robin said urgently, "the cops are almost right on us. We've really gotta get--"

"Hold on!" Batman snapped at him. Then he turned back to Fancy Dan and demanded, "Did she tell you her name?"

Fancy Dan just stared at him as if he were insane. "Yeah, she did…uh, who were you just talking to?"

"WHAT WAS HER DAMN NAME?!"

"Talia al Ghul!" Dan quickly told him. "She said her name was Talia al Ghul, and that she was the daughter of the demon. She also said that you needed protection from her! Ok?"

Batman dropped Dan back in the water as he stood up, stunned by this new revelation. But how? In all the time he had trained under him, studied under his tutelage, Ra's al Ghul had never revealed having a wife, much less a daughter.

'Leave it to Ra's to still have a surprise or two up his sleeve, even from beyond the grave,' Batman grimly thought, as he secured the netting that held the Enforcers to a bolt on the pier.

He stared at the glow from the fire in the distance, and now realized what the fire was. If Talia was half the master tactician her father was, she no doubt had evacuated her lair and burned it to the ground after her meeting with the Enforcers--just for good measure.

"I take it you ain't gonna cut us loose, huh?" Ox plaintively asked Batman.

When several police cars pulled up along the sides of the canal, Batman pulled out another grappling gun and shot a line up to the Batwing. "You're wanted for the assault and attempted murder of two FBI agents in New York. The police will untie you when they arrest you."

"Oh crud!" Ox cried in annoyance. "No sooner do we arrive in Gotham City than we get assaulted by that Talia broad, and dumped in a canal--only to get rescued by the very same guy who we're supposed to be hunting all along! Man, this is one crazy-ass town!"

"Welcome to Gotham City," Batman dryly told him.

When Batman climbed back into the cockpit of the Batwing, a relieved Robin said, "That was close! One of those cops down there was just about to draw on you. Who were those guys we rescued?"

"The Enforcers," Batman replied, as he piloted the Batwing up into the safety of the night skies. "The same men who assaulted Agent Spade and her partner. And from what they've told me, Robin, we've got problems. Big problems."

"Cadmus is already on the move," Robin said. "How much worse can things get?"

"Much worse. It has to do with Ra's al Ghul."

Robin's eyes flared with shock. "That guy? I thought he was dead."

"He is--but, apparently, the al Ghul family line is alive and well…and hell bent for vengeance."

**B&B**

"Whoa," Chloe said, as she gazed out the hotel room window with the others. "That fire looks intense!"

"I should really--" Kara started to say.

But Lana abruptly put her hand on the young woman's arm and firmly said, "You'll do no such thing."

Kara gave her a mortified look. "But Lana, I must--"

"No," Lana flatly told her. Then she continued in a softer tone: "Look, I know it's hard to turn your back on something like this. But it's become far too dangerous these days for you to--"

"Help people?" Kara said curtly.

Kitty came over and hugged Kara tightly. "Don't go, Kara, please!" the young girl pleaded. "If they could catch Superman, then they could catch you, too!"

If Alex had any doubts as to whether the mysterious young woman named Kara was truly a meta-human, they were gone now. 'She must be a powerful one,' Alex thought, 'if she could so casually talk about handling that fire on her own.'

"It looks like it's dying down, now, anyway," Chloe said.

Alex glanced out at the fire, which was a distant, reddish glow in the direction of the Iron View section. "We should go now," she told the group. "Because, not only is it night, but all of Gotham City's eyes will be on this fire--it should make it that much more easier for us to move without drawing any official attention."

When she saw everyone stared at her with a mixture of shock and repulsion, Alex added, "Hey, I don't mean to be callous. But that fire will be a good diversion for us."

"Easy for you to say that," Kara said with disgust. "But what about the people who're suffering in that fire?"

"That fire's in the Iron View section, which is the industrial heart of Gotham City that's always empty at this time of night," Alex informed her. "So chances are very good that there isn't anybody suffering from the fire. It might have even started in one of the abandoned warehouses."

"You know this for a fact?" Kara angrily asked.

"No, but I hope that's the situation." Alex shook her head. "Look, the days of meta-humans openly helping people are gone, now. Because you're all being viciously hunted by Cadmus. But I'm helping in this fight to bring those days back--and the best way I know to do that is to keep you, and others like you, safe for the time being. There may well be a reckoning coming for Cadmus soon enough--at least, _I_ hope so. And we may need metas like you to stand up and take part in that big fight--whenever and wherever it will happen."

"Wow," Chloe said, impressed. "Nice speech, Alex!"

The terse manner Kara held towards Alex had disappeared as she nodded her head. "Yes, well spoken. And you're right, Alex," she admitted. "It's just hard…you know?"

"We know, honey," Lana replied. "But, as Alex mentioned, there are a lot of good people here who are dedicated to fighting Cadmus. And we can help them by letting them help us."

Alex smiled at how Lana acted like a big sister to the young woman.

'They must be very close,' she thought. But as curious as Alex was about their relationship, she didn't even think to ask about it, because they had to move, now. She collected the few items she'd brought, then turned to the group and said, "Everybody ready?"

"Yeah," Chloe said, with an anxious laugh. "Gosh, I don't know why I'm so nervous, I've been through stuff like this before."

"Every time in action is a nail biter," Kara said, as she helped Kitty collect her meager things. Alex was pleased that Chloe and Lana had bought her a cute little teddy bear, whom Kitty named Wolverine.

'Weird name for a teddy bear,' Alex mused, as she cautiously led them out of the hotel room and into the hallway. 'Wonder where Kitty got _that _from?'

"Whoa!" Alex said, startled, as she watched a man in a hat and trench coat abruptly throw a magazine he had been reading to the floor and get up from his seat by the elevators. He stormed straight for them.

"Hey, blondie, c'mere," he growled at Alex. The fabric of his trench coat strained over his bulging muscles. "I wanna talk to you!"

"Get back inside; everybody just get back inside," Alex anxiously told Chloe, who held onto Kitty.

"Kara," Lana calmly said. "You mind?"

"Not at all," the young woman replied, as she confidently stepped past a shocked Alex and strolled down the hallway, heading straight for the man. "I got this."

"Hey," Alex called after her, "wait!"

Lana grabbed Alex's arm. "Let her go, Alex. She can handle him."

"Out of the way, kid," the man threatened Kara. "If you know what's good for you."

"I could say the same thing to you," Kara retorted.

As he walked up to her, the man stuck his finger right at Kara. "Look, missy, this ain't your fight."

And then, something amazing happened.

Alex watched, shocked, as Kara suddenly grabbed the man's outstretched hand and spun around--and as she did this, she had effortlessly swung the man right around 180 degrees as well. The sight of the petite, teenaged girl literally tossing around a man who was twice her size made Alex's jaw drop.

Kara then flung the man back down the hall, where he crashed into the very same sofa that he had sat on. The sofa had literally collapsed into pieces from under his dead weight.

Alex turned to Chloe and said, "Who the _hell_ is this kid?!"

"A good friend," Chloe replied coyly.

"Ok," Kara said, as she turned back to them. "He'll be out for a--"

But both Alex and Chloe pointed back at the man in a panic when they saw him rise up and pull off his trench coat and hat.

"Kara!" Chloe cried. "Behind you!"

Kara spun around in time to see her adversary, who was big, beefy man with a head of thick black hair and muttonchops running down the sides of his face.

He clenched his hands into tight fists. And even Kara's eyes grew wide in stunned amazement as she and the others all saw metallic, razor-sharp talons slide out from in-between the man's knuckles.

"Kid," he growled at her. "You just pissed off the wrong guy…."

**B&B**

'Ow,' Sam Spade ruefully thought, as she sat on the padded floor of the private gym in Wayne Manor. Sam rubbed her injured shoulder, which had just violently reminded her that it was in no condition for a work out right now.

She had grown tired of just sitting around, and so Sam had earlier decided to give the luxurious gym a try. She changed into sweat pants and a tank top, and secured her long blond hair back into a ponytail. Yet once she had begun her most basic isometric routines, Sam abruptly halted when the pain in her injured shoulder began flaring up like a five alarm fire.

"Not a good idea, Spade," she wanly told herself.

It had just been so frustrating for her to just do nothing while, all around her, things appeared to be building to a crisis stage. She wanted nothing more than to get dressed, strap on her gun, and get back to New York City and confront the members of her squad until she discovered who the second traitor was. But the fact that she was now a wanted fugitive, who was being hunted by her own comrades within the FBI, really put the brakes on that idea. Besides, the last she saw on the news, Martin was still unconscious in the hospital.

'But would Martin even set things straight once he woke up?' she wondered darkly. 'Or would he try and save his own skin by blaming me for putting him in the hospital?'

Her somber musings were interrupted when Sam heard the sounds of frantic whispering coming from somewhere. With a frown, she got to her feet and walked over to the doorway, where she glanced down the hall at a strange sight.

Alfred, Olivia and Rachel all stood speaking intensely--and to Sam, it appeared they were all speaking in a conspiratorial manner, as if they didn't want her to hear them. Sam, who had gone barefoot because of the padded floors in the gym, very quickly and quietly ran about halfway down the length of the hallway, making sure she stayed close to the wall so as to not attract their attention.

And yet, as she crept up behind a column, Sam instantly felt ridiculous. 'What the hell am I spying on them for?' she wondered. 'I trust Liv, as well as the others. To hell with it….'

She stepped out from behind the column, and the hushed, frantic conversation suddenly came to a halt when Alfred noticed Sam and pointed her out to Liv and Rachel.

"Oh, Sam, hey!" Olivia said, with a forced smile. "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

"Better, thanks," Sam replied. Then she stared at the overly apprehensive group and added, "What's going on?"

Just then, a young girl of about fifteen or sixteen years of age emerged from the doorway just behind Alfred. She was a pretty young woman with glasses, and had the most flaming red head of hair that Sam had ever seen.

"So," the red-haired girl said to the group, "is Bruce expecting us down in the Ba--"

"BABS!" Olivia suddenly shouted. She reached out and pulled the teenager towards her. "Have you met Sam Spade? Sam, this is Barbra Gordon."

Sam noted that Barbra did her level best to act normal by smiling broadly, but she still could not hide the astounishment in her eyes as she shook Sam's hand in greeting.

"Barbra Gordon?" Sam asked with a slight frown. "Are you Commissioner Gordon's daughter?"

"The one and the same," the girl said, the grin still plastered on her face.

There was a frantic undercurrent to their mannerisms that rubbed Sam the wrong way. Then she realized what it was: they were all acting as if they had been caught doing something wrong. It had occurred to Sam that she really had no right to be suspicious of these people, who took her in and gave her a safe haven. Yet her short time on the run as a fugitive had made Sam very suspicious of everything. And they _were_ all acting rather strangely, which only served to pique her misgivings.

'The girl was about to say something--something that I wasn't supposed to hear,' Sam realized. 'Until Olivia stopped her.'

"We thought you were upstairs, in your suite, Sam," Alfred told her, as he glared at her workout clothes with disapproval. "Have you been working out? With that bad shoulder?!"

"Um, yeah," Sam said in a small voice. There was something in the old man's stern tone that instantly made her feel like a five year old girl who had been very naughty. "But I stopped, once it acted up--"

"Oh no!" Alfred cried. His look became one of concern as he gently grabbed Sam's hand and led her away from the group. "I'll need to check the wound. Come with me, my dear."

"Wait, what are you guys--?" Sam glanced back at Olivia, Rachel and Barbra--only to see that they had already left, making a hasty exit down the hallway. Alfred kept pulling on her hand, forcing Sam to follow him into the kitchen, where he patted on a stool for her to sit down on.

"It feels fine now, Alfred, really," Sam insisted, as she sat down. When Alfred shot her another disapproving look, Sam just guiltily removed her hoodie for him. Alfred quickly removed the bandage.

"No harm done, thank goodness," Alfred said, as he inspected her wound. He poured more antiseptic lotion on it, then redressed it with a new bandage. "There, good as new. Try not to do anything strenuous, now, all right?"

The warm smile he gave her was manna from heaven for Sam--who smiled back, grateful to be once again in the old man's good graces. Alfred reminded her of a kindly old uncle whom she never had. "I promise, Alfred. And thanks so much."

He lightly snapped his fingers, as if something had just come to him. "You know, I'm working in the greenhouse. If you're really looking for something to do, you could help me!"

Sam, who had been planning on finding out where Olivia and the others had gone to, began to shake her head. "But you just said that I shouldn't do anything too strenuous, Alfred…."

"Oh, it won't be too bad for you," the old man insisted, as he excitedly grabbed her hand and pulled Sam towards the greenhouse. "We'll be sitting at the counter, repotting plants into bigger pots, that's all."

Sam could only just shake her head as Alfred happily tugged her into the greenhouse and sat her down in a chair by a counter filled with potted plants. Before she could even voice her objection, he placed a spade in her hand and said, "A spade for Agent Spade…how fitting is that?"

From anyone else, that joke would have felt very lame. But from Alfred, it was so cute, that it made her chuckle slightly. Alfred, with his impish smile, really was very adorable, so much so that he had made Sam completely forget all about--

And that was when it hit her. Sam glanced down and saw that she was still clad in her workout clothes--still barefoot, even--and yet here she was, getting ready to repot plants.

'Oh my God,' Sam thought, as she glanced at Alfred in a new light. 'I've just been played by a master!'

"You just diverted me, didn't you?" Sam accused him.

"Excuse me?" Alfred innocently asked.

Sam put the spade down and got up from the chair. "Is this your job? To keep people diverted from what's really going on here at Wayne Manor?"

"Whatever are you talking about, love?"

"Oh, I think you know, Alfred," Sam told him. "I was tyring to see what was going on with Olivia and the others--until you stopped me. Why don't _you_ tell me? What's really going on, here?"

Alfred appeared nonplussed. "Nothing. We were just about to repot some plants. But if you're not feeling up to it, we can--"

"Alfred, please," Sam gently pleaded with him. "If there's something wrong, if my life is in danger, I'd like to know. And from the nervous reactions I got from everybody in there, I could tell there's something really wrong."

"Whatever you saw just now, it has nothing to do with you, love," Alfred assured her. "I mean that sincerely. You're safe here, trust me."

Sam placed her hands on her hips. "So you _do_ know what's going on here?"

Now it was Alfred's turn to look sheepish, as he realized he had just painted himself into a corner. "Oh, dear…."

Sam knew she had him. "Alfred, are you going to tell me what's going on here, or what?"

"It really isn't my place," he feebly told her. After they stared at each other for a moment, Alfred added, "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"No, I'm not. Look, if you guys are in trouble in any way, then I need to know. Maybe I can even help you--have you thought of that?"

"Oh, dear," Alfred said again, as he grew thoughtful. Then he nodded. "Very well, Sam. I suppose it's only right that you should know…."

**B&B**

"What should I call you," Kara asked her opponent, "Spikey?"

The man with the muttenchops merely grinned at her. As he approached, the metallic talons that protruded from between his knuckles gleamed dangerously in the light. "How about Wolverine?"

'Wolverine?' Alex thought, as her eyes grew wide with an epiphany.

"When I get through with you," Kara grimly said, "your name will be mush."

"NO, WAIT!" Alex screamed, as she frantically grabbed the collar of Kara's shirt. But trying to stop this young woman was like trying to stop a moving freight train with her bare hands. As Kara kept moving forward--with Alex frantically holding on in a desperate attempt to stop her--her shirt ripped.

Kara spun around to face Alex with an annoyed expression. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Yeah, Blondie," Wolverine added. He had also paused in his attack. "Who are you, the referee?"

But Alex was stunned into silence by what was revealed underneath Kara's torn shirt. She had worn another garment underneath that was blue in color, with a bold red 'S' symbol set against a yellow pattern. It was the exact same pattern that Superman wore.

"Oh, my God," Alex said softly. "You're Supergirl."

"Oh, damn," Kara muttered, as she stared down at her outfit. "This is what I get for wearing cheap shirts."

Wolverine shook his head with disgust as he retracted his metallic claws back into his hands. "Somebody mind telling me what's going on, here?"

"You're not with Cadmus, are you?" Alex asked him.

"Lady, I've been _fighting_ Cadmus," he told her. "But lately, I've been tracking these two."

Alex saw that he pointed at Lana and Chloe, who both stood fearfully in the doorway of their hotel room.

"I heard Superman rescued a little girl from the Cadmus prison--a little girl who can walk through walls. She wound up with them." Wolverine then glared at Lana and Chloe. "Where is she? Where's Kitty?"

Alex let out a startled little screech when Kitty Pryde abruptly walked right through the wall and emerged in the hallway. Apparently, she had been listening to their conversation, and had recognized Wolverine's voice--because she then ran right into his arms. "LOGAN!"

The tough as nails Wolverine then showed his tender side--he looked immensely relieved to see her, as he lifted Kitty up and gently asked, "Are you ok?"

"Yes!" Kitty replied, as she gave him a hug. "Is everybody else ok? Did they escape like we did?"

"No," he somberly told her. "It looks like it's just us for now. But we're gonna bust them free. I promise."

"We're _all_ working on that," Alex said. "But right now, we've got to get out of here. I was just leading everybody to a safe house, Wolverine. You're more than welcome to join us."

"Just try getting rid of me now," he said. "And, hey, call me Logan."

"Wait," Kara told them all. She stared off into empty space with an absent look on her face, as if she was in a trance. "There's a lot of activity in the elevators. We've got a bunch of people coming up here all at once."

"Wish I had x-ray vision," Chloe whispered to Lana. "Sure comes in handy."

Then Kara dismally shook her head. "They're all cops riding up in the elevators. And they've got guys in sunglasses and dark suits with them. The suits look like they're calling the shots."

"Cadmus," Logan grimly said.

Alex nodded. "Somebody on this floor must have noticed the altercation between you and Supergirl and called them. Is there a stairwell nearby?"

"To your right," Lana replied.

"Then let's go, now!" Alex said.

As they frantically ran towards the stairwell door, Alex gave the hallway ceiling a worried glance. "Does this hotel have security cameras?"

"No, not on this level, the Executive Suites," Chloe replied. "Which is mainly why we chose it, even though we had to pay a premium."

"Typical," Kara muttered with distain. "How much privacy you've got is determined by how much money you have."

"Way of the world, kid," Logan said, as he held the stairwell door open for all of them. "Let's go."

'So my career as a meta smuggler is safe for now,' Alex thought, as she descended the steps along with the others. 'But this still isn't over yet….'

When they reached the lobby, Alex opened the door just a crack and peeked out. What she saw made her stomach tighten into knots.

It looked as if every cop in Gotham City was in the lobby of the hotel--and, as if for good measure, Alex saw several dark suited men and women, wearing sunglasses, lurking about.

She closed the door and leaned up against the wall. "This place is crawling with cops and Cadmus agents."

"Then let us at them," Logan told her. "Between me and Power Girl, here, we can mop the floor with the bastards."

"The name's Supergirl," Kara angrily corrected.

Logan waved his hand at her. "Yeah…whatever."

"Fine," Kara retorted. "Whatever you say, 'Weasel-rine.'"

Logan shot her a dangerous look as Chloe ran over to the stairs. "The stairs go down another several levels," Chloe reported. "Maybe we can sneak out the back way?"

"Or out through the parking garage?" Lana further suggested.

"If Cadmus is crawling all over the lobby, then you can bet they're all over the hotel," Logan said. "We'll run into them no matter where we go."

Alex was almost tempted to unleash Logan and Kara on the Cadmus creeps in the lobby. But there were also a lot of good Gotham City cops out there--some of them she knew personally--who had been commandeered by the Cadmus agents, and she didn't want to see them get hurt.

Alex peeked outside, and a thought occurred to her. But it was very dangerous--if just the slightest thing went wrong….but what choice did she have? But Alex might crew it up….

'Oh, Olivia, I wish you were here,' Alex thought, as she timidly stared at one of the Cadmus agents who stood just beyond the door. 'You're so much better at this rough and tumble stuff then I am, my little warrior princess. While I'm nothing more than an attorney who has a way with words.'

Then Alex's eyes grew wide behind her glasses as she was struck with another idea. 'Wait a minute…that might just be it….'

"So, Alex," Kara asked. "What do we do?"

"Wait, who put _her_ in charge, anyway?" Logan asked.

That was all it took to get Alex moving. Steeling herself, she turned to Lana and asked, "Do you have a car?"

"Yes," she replied. "It's in the parking garage."

Alex nodded. Then she glanced at the others and said, "Just stay here. If I don't come back, then _you're_ in charge, Logan."

Logan just stared at Alex as if she were crazy. "And where are _you_ going?"

"Out there, just wait for me," Alex replied, as she opened the door and stepped outside. She pulled out her ADA credentials and fastened it to the collar of her jacket. Then Alex looked over the crowds, trying to act much calmer than she'd felt.

When she saw a male Cadmus agent--in his crisp, black suit and sunglasses--Alex stormed up to him and said, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The agent's eyebrows furrowed over his sunglasses as he regarded Alex as if she were a bug. "What?"

"You heard me," Alex angrily said. "I'm with the Gotham City DA's office. And I'm here meeting with a mob witness and his family--and they are scared to death by all of this commotion!"

"Ma'am, there's been a reported sighting of meta-humans in the building, which we are required to track down."

"I know that, but do you seriously think that regular crime just stops because you guys are chasing some metas?" Alex told him. "This witness is extremely important to our case, and I've got to get him and his family out of here, without being seen. Do you understand?"

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am. They can all just go through the main check point in single file, and we'll--"

Alex shook her head. "What part of 'without being seen' don't you understand? I've got to get them out of here quietly, without anybody knowing anything--preferably the mafia hitmen who were sent here to kill them all!"

"As I've told you, ma'am, we are in the process of checking out a report of meta-human activity within this--"

"How do you know that this 'report' wasn't called in by the mob as a way to flush out my witness and his family?" Alex asked the man. "Have you caught these metas, yet?"

That gave the Cadmus agent pause, and Alex knew she was about to crack him. "No ma'am…we haven't found anything, yet."

"I need to get these people out of here, right now, without anybody knowing; without anybody even seeing their faces. Because, if the mob spots them, they're dead. They'll be killed right here and now. Would you think that Cadmus might enjoy being responsible for the slaughter of an entire innocent family--a family whose father had only wanted to do the right thing?"

"Uh, hold on," the agent said. And then he began speaking into his wrist.

As she waited for him, a scary thought had occurred to Alex. Olivia had earlier told Alex that her name was among several that the Anti-Batman Squad had on a list of possible suspects. Alex had treated it as a badge of honor at the time, but now the thought that her name might be known to Cadmus terrified her. What if the mere mention of her name raised a red flag on Cadmus' radar screen?

Another, older male Cadmus agent came over and consulted with his younger comrade. Then he came over to Alex and said, "Ms. Cabot, I'm Agent Judson. We didn't find any sign of metas in the hotel so far--which leads me to believe that it might have been a false alarm."

"Or a decoy story that was called in to get my witness and his family out in the open," Alex told him. "So they can be identified by hit men."

Judson stared at her for a moment--then nodded. "I'm inclined to believe you, Ms. Cabot. Where are you taking them out?"

Alex fought the impulse to let out a heavy sigh of relief. "In my car, out the side entrance of the parking garage."

"Very well," the agent said. "Take them out through that exit. I'll inform the Cadmus SWAT team there to let you through unmolested. Just give them my name."

"Thank you, Agent Judson," Alex replied with a nod.

Alex returned to the stairwell, and only when the door was shut did she let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"What happened?" Logan asked.

Chloe held her arm. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, thanks." After she got her jangling nerves under control, she told them about what she had accomplished. "We should just be able to drive right out of here without anyone the wiser."

"And what if they were just putting you on?" Logan skeptically asked her. "What if they're setting up a trap for you to drive us into right now?"

"If that happens, _then _you and Kara can open up a can of whoop ass," Alex told him. "But I'd really rather avoid a confrontation if we can. So let's get down to the car--and remember, hide your faces; you're a mob witness and his family who are fearing for their lives."

"Shouldn't be too hard to pull off," Chloe said. "After all, we _are_ fearing for our lives."

As he stared at Alex, Logan slowly shook his head. "And I thought Cylops had some crazy schemes…."

Yet he followed Alex's orders; once they were in the parking garage, Logan covered his face with his upheld arms--while Kitty, Kara, Lana and Chloe all did the same. Alex kept watch as she ran with them--thankfully, the parking garage was presently empty. She was also impressed at how much they looked like frightened mob witnesses--at least that was the idea that Alex wanted to convey to anybody at Cadmus who might be watching them on the surveillance cameras.

When they arrived at the car, which was a black SUV, Logan, Kitty, Lana and Chloe all piled into the back, where they took cover on the floor. Alex frowned when she noticed that Kara was missing.

She quickly glanced around and saw that Kara was leaning up against a concrete column. "Go," Kara whispered to Alex. "I can help provide backup for you--should anything go wrong."

'Smart idea,' Alex thought, as she got into the driver's side and shut the door. Alex glanced at the column in the rear view mirror, but saw that Kara was already gone.

"Where's Kara?" Lana urgently whispered from the back seat floor.

"She snuck off," Alex said, sotto voce. She started up the SUV and pulled out of the parking space. "She's providing cover for us."

"Damn it," Lana angrily muttered. "That silly kid…."

"That 'silly kid' has the powers of Superman, remember?" Chloe reminded her.

"But we don't know if these Cadmus agents are prepared for her," Lana shot back, sounding upset. "They took down Superman easily enough…."

"Everybody please be quiet," Alex whispered. "We're about to hit the check point."

She drove towards the check point, located at the side entrance/exit of the parking garage, and it was a very scary sight. There were at least twenty armed SWAT team members standing guard, along with what looked like an APC. The Cadmus SWAT looked nothing like the regular police SWAT, who were frightening in their own way. The Cadmus SWAT wore full body armor suits that covered them totally. Their faces were hidden beneath a pair of owl-like eye pieces that were form-fitted over what looked like gas masks.

When one of the Cadmus SWAT members came over to speak with Alex, she was struck at the eerie blue glow of his owl-like eye pieces.

"Please put your car in park and step out," he ordered her, his voice filtered through a speaker on the mask.

Alex briefly had a very crazy thought of waving her hand at him and saying, 'These are not the droids you are looking for.' Instead, she dug out her ADA ID and identified herself as being with the Gotham City DA's office. "I've spoken about this with Agent Judson in the lobby. He's cleared me to go on through."

Thanks to the inhuman getup that the SWAT member wore, it was impossible for Alex to read his face. As she waited for him to make a decision, she was careful to keep her own face calm and serene.

But that proved to be hard for her to do once the armored man took a step back, raised his gun, and said, "I must insist that you exit the vehicle right now, ma'am."

As the rest of the SWAT team members suddenly surrounded her SUV on all sides, with their guns at the ready, the only thing that a dread-filled Alex could think of was: 'Oh, sh--'

**To Be Continued....**


	5. Chapter 5

_I'd lke to thank Zarathustra1030 and RebelByrdie for their reviews last time. Thanks!_

**Batman & Benson 5**

**Chapter Five**

'Oh God, no!' Alex thought with dread, as the armored Cadmus SWAT team members surrounded the SUV that she was presently in.

"Logan, wait," Alex said with a renewed panic, as she watched in the rear view mirror as Wolverine got up from his hiding place in the back seat. "Wait, please! I can still talk us out of this!"

"The time for talk is _over_, darling," he gruffly told her.

The Cadmus SWAT commander took a startled step backwards when he saw Wolverine rise up. He raised his weapon right at the car and said, "You in the back! Show me your hands, right now!"

Alex watched in stark terror as the other armor-clad SWAT members, who now surrounded the SUV they were in, all raised their guns right at them.

"You really wanna see my hands, bub?" Wolverine growled at the SWAT commander. "I'll _show_ you my--"

Alex let out a whoop of shock as the SUV they were in suddenly jerked forward violently, as if it were struck--and then it abruptly lifted off from the ground. Alex briefly heard startled yelling from the Cadmus SWAT team--as well as a sudden burst of gunfire. But it all faded away as they swiftly flew gently and gracefully through the air, still following the street.

Wolverine let out a chuckle as he stuck his head out the window and yelled, "Nice going, Power Chick!"

"The name's Supergirl, Weasel-rine!" she shouted back.

Wolverine burst into riotous laughter at that. Then he glanced over at Lana, Chloe and Kitty--who had now all gotten up. "I'm really beginning to like this kid!"

When she saw they were coming to a red traffic light, Alex instinctively hit the brakes, while keeping a firm grip on the steering wheel--until she realized that, with the car presently airborne, she had no control whatsoever. "Oh, Christ, what's wrong with me?!"

"You're not used to having your car being lifted up into the air," Lana said good-naturedly, as she climbed into the passenger seat next to Alex.

"Yeah," Chloe added, as she leaned on the back of Lana's seat. "When it's happened to you several times, like it has with us, you sort of get used to it."

"Where do we go, now?" Supergirl called from beneath the car.

"Good question," Wolverine somberly said to Alex. "Cadmus is now gonna be looking for you."

Alex had thought about that, and realized that he was correct. Her cover as a Meta handler was basically blown--not that Alex blamed Kara; the young woman only did what she thought was right. And Kara did get them out of a very sticky situation with relative ease. But if Alex still tried to take them to the safe house now, they might only draw unwanted attention to the overall Meta Underground Network. And that was something that Alex didn't want to risk. Alex's cover as one of the leaders of the MUN might be blown, but there were still too many people who were depending on the network whom she didn't want to let down.

"There's only one place in Gotham City that'll be safe, now," Alex said with resignation. "Kara, take us straight to Wayne Manor. I'll show you the way."

**B&B**

"Talia Al Ghul?" Olivia said with unease.

"That's what Fancy Dan said her name was," Batman told her.

They stood in the Batcave with Rachel and Barbra. Robin came down the steps leading from the hanger that housed the Batwing. He carried the prized item of the evening: the laptop they stole from Curnow's office.

When Robin handed the laptop to Batman, the Dark Knight placed it down on a table and gestured for Barbra to come over. When she did, he said, "I've tried to keep you out of this as much as possible. But I need your computer expertise on this one. See what you can do with this."

Barbra looked like the proverbial kid in the candy store as she sat down and carefully looked over the laptop. "No commercial logos; it's government issue," she said, with the confidence of an expert. "And from the way the casing's designed, it looks like this baby's even protected from an EMP burst."

"Guess you'd have to be a government spook just to own something like this," Robin commented, as he looked over Barbra's shoulder.

"How much information do you think you can get out of a laptop like that?" Rachel asked Batman.

"Hopefully, the location of the Cadmus Meta prison," Batman said. "But I'll gladly settle for whatever info we can get. The Question tells me that even the Lone Gunmen are stymied--and you know that any inside knowledge of Cadmus is very hard to find if even _they_ can't find it. But, at least we now know for sure that Nathaniel Hardcastle is in overall command of Cadmus."

"What about this Talia?" Olivia asked. "You think she's working for them, as well?"

Batman shook his head. "The Enforcers were hired by Cadmus--they so much as told me so. If they were allies, then it wouldn't make much sense for Talia to try and kill them."

"Great," Olivia said wearily. "The one thing we didn't need to happen just happened--we're now dealing with a new super villain right in the middle of this Cadmus mess."

"It's the perfect time for Talia, or anybody else, to strike," Batman said. "While Robin and I are busy with Cadmus."

Rachel shook her head in a disconcerted manner. "For somebody you haven't met, you sound like you know her."

"I knew her father, Rachel, and if Talia is anything like him, then we're in for the fight of our lives," Batman grimly replied. "I'll need to hit the Batcomputer, and see what I can find--"

He was cut off by the sound of an alarm. Before anyone could even speak, a phone on the Batcomputer rang, and Batman answered it, placing the call on speakerphone. "Yes, Alfred?"

"The motion detectors have picked up a presence in the main court, sir," the butler reported. "But, no one has come through the main gate."

Batman pushed a button on the massive console. "Bringing up the video now, Alfred."

Olivia and the others all let out a collective gasp when the main screen revealed a large SUV being gently placed on the ground in front of Wayne Manor by an impossibly petite teenaged girl. If Olivia weren't seeing it on a surveillance video, she would have sworn she were watching some sort of a special effects prank. Then, once she saw the girl's flowing blond hair, a flash of recognition sparked within Olivia's mind. "Wait, she's familiar…."

"It's Supergirl," Batman said. "She's not in uniform."

"With the way things are going for metas these days, can you blame her?" Robin said.

"But what's she doing here?" Rachel asked.

"Chloe Sullivan and Lana Lang," Olivia said, when she saw the two women get out of the SUV. "The little girl must be Kitty Pryde. Don't know who the guy is."

"He's a member of the X-Men who goes by the handle of Wolverine," Batman told her. "His real name's Logan Cade."

They watched as Alex got out of the SUV, looking a little unsteady on her feet. Then she glanced straight up at the camera--at all of them--and gave a sheepish shrug.

'Sorry,' Alex mouthed at them. She looked absolutely anguished.

Olivia shook her head. "Oh my God. Something's seriously wrong."

"Obviously," Batman commented. "Sis, you mind going up and checking it out?"

As Olivia strode towards the elevator, she said, "Not a problem."

"I'll come with you," Rachel said, as she walked along side of Olivia.

"You think we should change into our civvies?" Robin asked.

"No, Robin," Batman answered. "In fact, Barbra, I'd like for you to get dressed in your Batgirl outfit."

She looked up from the Cadmus computer with a stunned expression. "Really? Cool!"

Olivia abruptly stopped and turned back towards the Batman. "You expecting trouble?"

"I always expect trouble, sis," he muttered. "Especially when an unknown situation presents itself right on our doorstep like this. Watch yourself up there, just in case."

Olivia nodded dourly. "If it turns out to be a trap, and I'm forced to tell you otherwise over the house intercom, I'll say that everything's hunky-dory."

"If it turns out to be a trap, I'll know it before you do," Batman promised her.

As they tensely rode up in the elevator, Rachel glanced down at Olivia's right hand, which twitched nervously over her holstered gun. "Can this Wolverine be brought down with that?"

"Maybe," Olivia anxiously replied. "But I'm more concerned about Supergirl. Assuming the worse has happened, then this gun won't stop her. Not much will."

"Bruce has kryptonite in the Batcave," Rachel reminded her. "If it should come to that."

Olivia just nodded somberly. The fact was, if it should come to that, then Bruce's secret identity as the Batman will be revealed.

When they emerged within Wayne Manor itself, Olivia and Rachel ran down the corridor, towards the sounds of an intense conversation being held in the foyer. Olivia stopped when she saw Sam Spade shrink back from her in a doorway. When Olivia called her name, Sam reluctantly stepped out, still barefoot and clad in her workout clothes. "What's going on, Liv?"

"We have visitors," Olivia informed her. "Just stay there, we're going to check it out."

"I can help," Sam called after them.

"Just stay put, Sam," Olivia called back over her shoulder. She did a double take when she saw Sam was following them. "Sam, please! You're still injured."

"I'm not a little girl, Liv! I can take care of myself."

Before Olivia could offer any further protest, they had arrived at the foyer. When Alex--who had been speaking with Alfred--laid eyes on Olivia, she said, "Liv, Rachel, I am so sorry! I-I didn't know where else to take them!"

Olivia quickly glanced back and was satisfied to see that Sam had decided to stand several feet behind them by the doorway. Then she turned her attention to her distraught lover, and listened to the story that Alex told. When she was done, Olivia gave Alex a hug and said, "There wasn't much more you could do, babe."

"I-I think I'm now a wanted fugitive," Alex said, her wide eyes looking very wide and fearful behind her glasses.

"We'll deal with that as it comes," Rachel told her in a soothing tone. "But for now, just relax. You can take a few days off from the job and lay low until I can sort out what the fallout form this is, if any."

"I'm afraid we've got another problem, Olivia," Alfred whispered into her ear. "Agent Spade has become rather inquisitive regarding what you were up to downstairs. I've told her it involved the Meta Underground Network, but she wants in."

"That's ok, Alfred," Olivia told him. "I'll talk to her, and--"

But Olivia stopped speaking when she saw a stunning sight. She had glanced back at Sam--only to see Sam come running towards her in a panic. The reason why Sam had run for safety by Olivia's side now stood in the doorway of the foyer. Batman, with Robin and Batgirl on either side of him, stood glaring at the group in the foyer.

"Oh, God!" Alex said, when she saw the Dark Knight and his two protégés.

"Wow!" Chloe cried, as she pointed them out to a stunned Lana and Kara.

Even the unflappable Wolverine looked taken aback, as he held a frightened Kitty in his arms. "Good Christ…."

"There is nothing to fear," Batman calmly said to the group. "We just wanted to welcome you to Wayne Manor."

And then he proceeded to remove his cowl.

**B&B**

'Damn, Batman,' Commissioner Gordon thought, 'you're either the smartest man alive…or the craziest. Maybe both.'

Gordon shook his head as he inspected the ABS bullpen. Once the thick smoke had cleared, there were several knocked out ABS officers scattered all over the floor--they were now being offered medical aid by the GCPD Emergency Response Squad. Nobody was seriously injured by the Dark Knight and Robin.

'But their pride is mortally wounded,' Gordon thought, as he gazed over the damage done to the ABS bullpen, which included a smashed out window. 'This is a serious blow to your reputation when the man you're hunting winds up hunting _you_ right on your home turf.'

Gordon stared at the group of cops who stood by the door--these were the real, honest Gotham City cops whom he worked with on a daily basis. And as they talked amongst themselves, with the occasional burst of laughter, Gordon could clearly see that his regular boys and girls regarded the ABS with a mixture of contempt and hilarity.

'It's becoming widely known that the ABS is merely a front for Cadmus,' Gordon realized. 'And it's Curnow's own fault; she never bothered to ingratiate herself, or her squad, to the rest of the force.'

Speaking of Curnow, Gordon watched as the woman herself stormed over to Renee Montoya, who was in the process of interviewing a couple of the ABS cops.

"That's enough, Detective," Curnow loudly said. "Get out of here!"

When Montoya shot him a disgruntled look, Gordon decided to intervene. "As a member of the Major Case Unit," Gordon called over to Curnow, "it's within Detective Montoya purview to investigate this crime, Inspector."

"It's not just that, sir," Montoya told him. "There's a discrepancy in their stories, here."

"I just told you that we do not need--" an angry Curnow started to say.

"Inspector, do you mind?!" Gordon snapped at her. Then, he turned back to Montoya and asked, "What discrepancy?"

Montoya gestured at the ABS men. "One of them says that the Batman stole a computer--a laptop--from the Inspector's office. But now they're telling me that nothing's been stolen!"

Gordon turned to the two ABS cops whom Montoya had been speaking with. They each regarded him with guilty looks. "Gentlemen," Gordon said, with his hands on his hips, "so what is it? Has a computer been stolen, or not?"

"No, sir," Curnow quickly jumped in. "We were mistaken. Nothing's been stolen. The Batman just attacked us for no good reason!"

It was at that moment that the whole situation became crystal clear for Gordon. It was obvious that a cover up was in place here; that the Batman _did_ steal a computer from Curnow. And apparently it was her own personal laptop--because, so far, nothing's been officially listed as being stolen from the ABS.

'This laptop must have been something special,' Gordon thought, 'for Batman and Robin to risk attacking the ABS like they did. I just hope it provides them with a bounty of information that they can use against Cadmus.'

"Enough of this. We have work to do," Curnow abruptly announced to everyone in the bullpen. "You may all leave."

Fed up with this latest display of Curnow's arrogance, as well as her flagrant lack of respect for the chain of police command, Gordon strode over to her and said, "Inspector?"

When Curnow turned to face him, she had an absent-minded look on her face, as if Gordon were nothing more than a peon who had addressed the lady of the manor. "Yes, Commissioner?"

"I want to see you in my office in twenty minutes," Gordon firmly told her.

Curnow merely shook her head. "No, sir. That's not good for me. I have to try and get this squad up and running again."

James Gordon was considered by many to be a genuinely likeable man who rarely lost his temper. And so when he did lose it, like he did now, it was a frightening sight to behold. Montoya, once she saw the shift on Gordon's face from calmness to rage, fearfully whispered something under her breath in Spanish and took a few steps away from them--as though she fully expected Gordon to erupt like a volcano.

Which he did.

"THAT WAS NOT A GODAMN REQUEST, INSPECTOR!" he roared at her.

Curnow blinked at him, her face pale, as she took a step backwards. "Sir, let me just--"

"SHUT UP!" Gordon took a breath before he continued. "Either I see you in my office within twenty minutes, Inspector, or you will no longer _BE_ an Inspector within this department. The traffic division is always looking for new meter maids! Understand me, Curnow?"

"Um, yes sir…."

Gordon spun around and stormed out of the ABS. When he passed Montoya, he said, "Come with me, Renee."

As they rode in the elevator up to his office, Gordon noticed that Montoya stood very primly with her hands clasped together in front of her. 'Poor woman must think she's my next target,' Gordon thought.

"There was no point in you continuing your investigation, Renee," he said softly, "because those morons are too busy hiding everything from us."

Montoya now let out a deep sigh of relief. "I understand, sir. My presence there wasn't really appreciated by Inspector Curnow, anyway."

"The feeling's mutual," Gordon muttered, as they exited the elevator and strode towards his office. "The presence of Inspector Curnow, and her squad, is not appreciated within the department, either. They're seriously wearing out their welcome, here."

When they entered Gordon's office, they saw that Harvey Bullock sat waiting for them in a chair. He got up and nodded in greeting at Gordon. "Commish, hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."

Gordon remembered that he'd put Bullock in charge of the investigation into the mysterious fire over at that Iron View warehouse. "No, Harvey. Just dealing with the insufferable Leslie Curnow, that's all."

Bullock burst into a grin. "Oh, yeah! I heard Bats paid Curnow and her merry crew a little visit tonight."

"The Batman and Robin took something," Montoya told him. "A computer laptop--but Curnow and her crew are now swearing that nothing was stolen."

"Hmm, makes ya wonder what's on that laptop, huh?" Bullock said with a smile. "Hope Bats finds something good enough that'll bring the roof down on them."

"I'm having Curnow meet me here in a few minutes," Gordon said, as he stood behind his desk. "What's the story with the fire, Harvey?"

"Took place in an abandoned warehouse, but the fire marshals are saying it was deliberately set," Bullock informed him. "And that ain't all. Batman was there--he probably stopped off after he paid the ABS kiddies a visit--he rescued three guys from the local drainage canal. The guys were all tied up, and they're swearing up and down that it was Batman who tried to kill them."

"Did you find out who they were?" Gordon asked.

Bullock nodded. "I ran them. And they turned out to be a freelance criminal team known as The Enforcers. They work mainly out of New York City for the underworld big shots they have there like The Kingpin."

"That would explain why we never heard of them," Montoya said.

"But it gets better," Bullock told her. He placed three ID tags on Gordon's desk. "We found one of these on each of them."

Gordon picked them up, and when he opened the flaps on each of the tags, he was stunned to see they all identified each man from The Enforcers as being a federal agent, specifically from the FBI. He waved them in his hand and asked, "Counterfeit?"

Bullock shook his head. "They're the real deal, Commish. I checked with someone I know at the FBI, and each of The Enforcers is listed as being an agent with them under their real names. But when I read their criminal jackets, they all have records as long as your arm, including being wanted for several outstanding warrants in New York City."

"Did they identify themselves as being federal agents to you?" Gordon asked.

The big man shook his head in the negative. "In fact, they didn't look too happy when we found the FBI ID on them."

Montoya frowned. "Since when did the FBI start hiring wanted felons?"

Gordon thoughtfully stared at the FBI identifications in his hand. "I'm willing to bet that this might be the work of Cadmus," he said. "Much like how they integrated Curnow and her team within the Gotham City police, they've got these three imbedded within the FBI."

Bullock smiled at him. "And we've got them imbedded within our jail."

"Harvey, when you checked their backgrounds, was it an official call?"

"No, sir. Like I said, I contacted a buddy of mine within the bureau. He keeps stuff like this on the down low for me."

Gordon nodded. "Then let's wait and see if the FBI comes calling for their agents. In the meantime, Harvey, start sweating our Enforcer friends in the interrogation rooms. Since they didn't identify themselves as agents, then let's just see what they were doing with these badges. Renee, I want you on that with Harvey."

Montoya nodded as she and Bullock started walking out of the office. "Yes, sir."

They abruptly paused at the doorway--the door was ajar, and when Gordon glanced up, he saw a shadow of a person who stood just outside.

"Good evening, Inspector Curnow," Montoya politely said. "I hope we didn't keep you waiting for very long."

"Detectives," Curnow muttered, as she brushed past them and entered the office.

'Damn it, how long was she waiting out there?' Gordon wondered. 'And how much of our conversation did she hear?'

Bullock and Montoya had already left as Curnow waited stiffly before Gordon's desk as he put the FBI indentifications away in a drawer. He noted that she stared at the tags with a mixture of disbelief and shock. "You all right, Inspector? You look as if you've seen a ghost."

That startled Curnow out of her reverie. "Yes, sir. I'm fine. Um, I would just like to apologize for my behavior downstairs."

Gordon nodded. "Does that apology include making the ABS the laughing stock of the entire department? Hell, once the media gets their hands on this, you'll be the laughing stock of the whole city."

Curnow gazed back down at where Gordon had deposited the FBI tags. "It would appear that other people share that same assement of me."

"I beg your pardon?"

She abruptly shook her head. "Never mind, sir."

'Another snooty little comment,' Gordon thought with a solemn nod. "You know, since you've set up the ABS squad here, you've always acted like you and your team were above the rest of us. And, as much as I hated your aloofness, I had no choice but to put up with it because you kept running straight over my head to the Mayor. But, after _this_ little fiasco, I wouldn't be surprised if the ABS has lost most--if not all--of its good graces with City Hall."

Curnow stood quietly for a moment, and then she simply said, "Yes, sir."

There was a knock at the door, and Gordon saw two well-dressed men in suits. "Excuse me, Commissioner Gordon," one of them said. "We apologize for intruding, but the receptionist wasn't in, and--"

"That's ok, I have a habit of working well past normal business hours," Gordon told him. "What can I do for you, Mr--?"

"It's Special Agent Cary Mallon," he said, as he presented an ID. He gestured to his comrade. "This is Agent Greaves. We're with the FBI. I'd like to speak to you about something, Commissioner."

'Well, that certainly didn't take very long,' Gordon thought. 'No sooner are the Enforcers off the streets than their FBI handlers come running. This should be interesting.'

Gordon turned to Curnow and said, "That will be all, Inspector. Give me a full report on the status of your unit tomorrow."

He was surprised to see her take one step back and give him a snappy salute. "Yes, sir."

Gordon watched with a slight smile as she briskly left his office. If it took the Batman trashing her office to finally get Curnow to respect the chain of command, then maybe Gordon should have the Dark Knight come in and scare the bejeezus out of the other problem officers within his department.

"So, Agents Mallon and Reeves, how can we help the FBI?" Gordon cordially asked them.

"We're in pursuit of a wanted felon," Mallon said. "She's been caught in the act of giving aid and comfort to known fugitives."

Gordon was taken aback. Apparently, Mallon and Greaves weren't here to plead the case for the Enforcers. "My Major Case Unit usually handles this sort of thing. Why is this something that you needed to see me personally about, gentlemen?"

"Because the wanted felon is someone who is very high up in the Gotham City law enforcement community," Mallon said. "She's an Assistant District Attorney, who, through her actions, has violated the public's trust. Our arrest warrant is for Alexandra Cabot, sir."

**B&B**

"Damn it," Leslie muttered, as she strode down the corridor of her apartment building. She couldn't shake the memory of the conversation she'd overheard between Gordon and his toadies, about how they had picked up The Enforcers right here in Gotham City. And The Enforcers were armed with fed identification.

'That's a Cadmus tactic if there ever was one,' she thought. 'And the fact that they were working in Gotham City, without my knowledge, can mean only one thing: Hardcastle has lost all confidence in me.'

As she opened her door, Leslie's cell phone had begun ringing, and she dreaded who it might be: Hardcastle. After the disastrous day that her unit had suffered, her true boss was the last person whom she wanted to speak with right now.

As she entered the apartment, Leslie checked the caller ID on her cell, and sure enough, it was Hardcastle, calling under one of his aliases. Letting out a heavy sigh, Leslie answered the call.

Hardcastle's stern voice was brisk and to the point. "After what occurred today, the decision has been made to sideline your team for the time being."

"General, I apologize for--"

"I don't want your apology," he said, cutting her off. "I just want you and your team to stand down for now. We have another team presently working in Gotham City, now. They'll take it from here."

"If you mean The Enforcers, sir, then I regret to inform you that they have been arrested tonight by the Gotham City police force," Leslie said, and not without some pleasure.

There was a pause on the other line. "That is most unfortunate."

'What's unfortunate is that you brought in another team without even consulting me, first,' Leslie angrily thought. "If you wish, sir, once my unit gets back on its feet, can can--"

"You'll do only what I tell you to do," Hardcastle firmly told her. "And that's to stand down. Am I understood?"

Despite the intense disappointment Leslie felt, she kept her voice level and calm. "Yes sir. We will remain on the sidelines, as per your--"

Hardcastle hung up on her before Leslie could even finish speaking. The message he'd sent was clear: she was a screw up who wasn't even worth speaking to.

"Damn it," Leslie muttered again, as she shut off her cell. It was bad enough for the Batman to brazenly attack her office like he did, but it just wasn't fair for her commanding officer, a man whom Leslie liked and had greatly respected, to not even give her a chance to--

Leslie was startled out of her thoughts when a strange male voice suddenly called out, "Welcome home, honey!"

"Wha--?!" was all Leslie managed to say, just before she was grabbed from behind and a handkerchief was stuffed over her nose and mouth. It smelled of chloroform.

Leslie tried to struggle, but all she'd managed to do was kick off her shoes as her unseen assailant easily held her in place, holding the chloroform-drenched handkerchief over her nose and mouth.

And as she helplessly faded into unconsiousness, Leslie heard the same male voice say, "Nighty-night, sweet princess…."

**B&B**

Bruce gazed out at the crowd of people who stood in the Batcave with a slight smile. They still appeared dazed, especially Sam Spade, who stood staring with fascination at the parked Batmobile and Tumbler, as Dick--sans his Robin mask--explained what the vehicles were capable of to her and Kitty Pryde. Bruce noted that Kitty appeared to be more awe-struck by him than the vehicles that he spoke about.

"Kitty's got a major crush developing there," Olivia noted with a smile. She stood next to Bruce, alongside Lana Lang. "Dick had better watch himself."

"It's just great to see her acting like a little girl again," Lana said, with a broad grin. "She was so frightened when Clark brought her to us, that she hardly even spoke."

"Clark," Bruce said solemnly. "Has he been missed yet at the Daily Planet?"

"No, not yet," Lana replied. "Chloe left a prerecorded message on Lois' voice mail--at a time when she knew Lois would be too busy to pick up--which had Clark saying that he was out of town pursuing a lead on a major story."

"Clark recorded it previously?" Olivia asked.

Lana nodded. "Just in case something like this occurred. It buys us a little time while we search for him. Of course, Clark has to come up with a story when this is all over...that is, assuming--"

Her voice had faded off at the end, and she momentarily glanced down at the floor--it was as though Lana's deep-seated fears at never finding Clark again had involuntarily arisen within her, cracking her normally cheerful and upbeat façade.

"We'll find Clark," Bruce assured her. "We'll find them all, Lana--that I promise."

Lana nodded as she quickly wiped away a tear. The strong-willed young woman had once more returned. "I know you will, Bruce. And thanks, for everything you're doing."

"We're all in this together," he told her. "All fighting for the same goal."

"Oh, God," Olivia said with a chuckle. "Will you look at her?!"

As they watched an awed Chloe tenderly rub her fingers along the edges of the massive Batcomputer, Lana Lang had jokingly said, "I think she's in love."

Chloe, who overheard them, turned and just shrugged shyly at Bruce. "I can't help it! Awesome computer you have here!"

"Thanks," Bruce replied. "Coming from a master computer expert like you, Chloe, that's quite a compliment."

Chloe just stared back at him, wide-eyed, as her face blushed a beet red color in response, which Bruce found all the more charming.

Bruce glanced over at Barbra and Kara, and was pleased at what he saw. When they first met, both girls--who were the same age--had glared at each other taciturnly, with their arms folded. Now, they were both chatting amiably over the laptop that he and Dick had stolen from Curnow's office, as thick as thieves.

"Um, excuse me," Olivia said tersely.

Bruce frowned as she strode quickly away from him and Lana, curious as to what might be wrong--then he immediately saw the problem.

A distraught Alex sat on a stool with her head in her hands. She had been crying. Rachel stood over her, trying to comfort Alex as best she could, but she took a step back as Olivia came over and bent down in front of Alex. They hugged each other tightly, and Alex began to cry even harder against Olivia's shoulder as Olivia soothed her.

When Rachel made a discreet gesture for him to come over, Bruce excused himself to Lana and went over towards her. He walked past Alfred and Logan Cade, who were both deep within a conversation about the history of Wayne Manor. Alfred had told Logan about how the Batcave was originally used for the Underground Railroad.

"Must have been hell getting the slaves past Caldwell's Confederate picket," Logan commented. "Caldwell watched his section like a hawk."

"Yes," Alfred said, surprised. "I did not realize you were a student of the American Civil War, Mr. Cade."

"Uh, yeah, I'm very familiar with that era," Logan cryptically replied, "among others…."

When Bruce strode up to Rachel, he whispered, "What's wrong?"

"She blames herself for screwing everything up," she whispered back, with a nod at the upset Alex. "She thinks it's her fault you had to reveal your identity to everyone."

"It's not her fault at all," he said firmly. "She had no control over an impossible situation."

"That's what I told her, and it's what Liv's telling her now," Rachel said. She gazed at him thoughtfully. "But are you sure it was wise to reveal yourself to everyone like this?"

"We realized that the war with Cadmus would be ratcheted up to a point where something like this might happen, Rachel," he said. "These are desperate times, my love. And desparate times--"

"--call for desperate measures," she finished for him with a nod. Rachel stared at him meaningfully. "Do you think it will get worse?"

"It will, hopefully for Cadmus," he replied.

"C'mon, sweetie," Olivia said, as she and Alex stood up. She gently rubbed her lover's back. "It's all right, baby. Remember, you did everything that you could."

When Alex saw Bruce standing there, she burst into tears again. "Oh, Bruce…I'm so sorry…."

"Come here," Bruce told her, as he took the sobbing Alex into his arms. "Don't blame yourself, Alex. It wasn't your fault. Really."

"If you've gotta blame somebody," Logan called over to them, "blame Cadmus. They were the ones who pushed us into a corner."

"They seem to be pushing everybody into a corner, lately," Lana said darkly.

"There's only one thing to do when somebody pushes you," Bruce said to the entire group, as they gathered around. He held Alex close against him with one arm. "Push back. Hard."

"Damn right," Logan agreed. He began to remove a cigar from his jacket--until he noticed everybody stared at him. "Something the matter?"

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," Rachel warned.

A smile crossed Logan's lips. "What? If I light up, I incur the wrath of the Batman?"

"Actually, I'm not the one you should worry about," Bruce told him. He gestured at something behind Logan.

A surprised Logan turned to see Alfred had given him a murderous glare.

"Mr. Cade," Alfred firmly intoned. "Wayne Manor is a non-smoking home!"

"And it'll stay that way," Logan replied, as he quickly stuffed the cigar back into his jacket. "I won't light up here, Alfred! Never! I promise!"

"Beware all those who dare incur the wrath of Alfred," Dick uttered in his best ominous tone.

This brought on a welcome volley of laughter from the group--it even cheered up Alex, who smiled broadly. Bruce gave her one final nudge of affection before he went over to the Batcomputer. He wanted to check on the city--his city. Eager to see the Batcomputer in action, Chloe stood near by, intently watching him, as Bruce brought up the various news reports on the multitude of screens.

"All looks quiet," she commented.

"Yes," Bruce grimly replied, as he scanned the screens. "For now."

Logan came over. "Hey, Bruce, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"You're not a meta--and I'm not holding that against you," Logan said. "Far from it; I'm just stating a fact, here, bub. You have no superpowers whatsoever, which makes what you do here all the more impressive, as far as I'm concerned. But the fact is, this deal with Cadmus, it really isn't your fight, is it?"

"But I'm making it my fight," Bruce quietly replied.

"Why?" Logan asked. "I guess that's my main question, here. Why are you fighting for metas, when you're not one yourself?"

Bruce instantly thought of a hundred different reasons why he was fighting this battle, but only one sounded really right. And that was what he told Logan. "Because I choose to."

Logan nodded. And in that moment, he appeared to have made his mind up about something. "I can tell it's goanna be a pleasure working with ya. Whatever you need from me, bub, you just say the word."

"The pleasure is all mine," Bruce said, as they shook hands.

As Chloe looked on, she wiped tears from her eyes.

"Is something in the air, here?" Logan jokingly asked Bruce. "Everybody's getting so damn emotional!"

"Don't mind me," Chloe said, as she took a deep breath. "It's just that, being here with all of you, I've felt something that I haven't felt in the longest time."

"What is it?" Bruce asked.

"Hope," Chloe replied with a broad smile.

**B&B**

Talia stood in the vast hall and took in the sights of her men working feverishly all around her. Some were welding, several more secured drywall with nail guns, while a few others worked on the electrical aspects of this, her new trap.

The Bat trap.

It occurred to Talia that chasing after the Batman would not work. The only way she would capture the Batman was to bring him to her. Lure her prey into the perfect trap, and he would belong to her forever. And so once they had moved their operations to this new location, Talia had immediately ordered her men to get to work.

Ubu walked up to her, then bowed. "Work is proceeding smoothly, my Mistress."

"What of the gas?" Talia asked. "Has it arrived, yet?"

Ubu nodded. "Yes, it has. The men are loading the tanks as we speak."

"Excellent," Talia said with a nod. "The Bat trap is almost ready--save but for one last item."

"What would that be, my Mistress?"

"Bait," Talia said with a predatory smile.

**B&B**

Leslie awoke with a start, and when she did, she immediately felt chilly, and her muscles cramped. She glanced down at her body, and her eyes grew wide with shock.

She had been stripped of all of her clothing, save for her panties and bra, and was now seated in one of her dining room chairs--which had been placed in the center of the living room. Leslie's wrists were handcuffed behind her back, and her ankles were taped to the front legs of the chair. Her desk lamp had been brought in and placed on a stool next to her, the bare bulb--the only source of illumination in the darkened room--shining right in her eyes.

"This has got to be the _worse_ day of my life so far," Leslie murmured, still a bit groggy form the chloroform.

"That would depend on your perspective," a man's voice said from the shadows.

"Who the hell are you?!" Leslie said, startled. She tried to see who had spoken, but the lamp shining in her eyes, along with the surrounding blackness, had made her abductor all but invisible. "You've just made the biggest mistake of your life, buster! I'm an Inspector with the Gotham City Pol--"

"Oh, please, spare me the scripted speech," the man said. "I know who you really are, Miss Curnow--or, should I say, Colonel Curnow, a recently retired Special Forces operative from the United States Army? You're now secretly employed for a government outfit called Cadmus, who are trying to come up with the final solution for the so-called meta problem."

'Damn, who the hell _is_ this?' Leslie nervously wondered. "Look, if you're going to rob me, then help yourself. Just take whatever you want and leave, all right?"

"You think you had a really rough day--and, on the surface, you did," the man said. "The Batman invaded your office and made a farce out of your unit, Gordon will now use this incident to get rid of you, and your boss--your _real_ boss--General Hardcastle, has just swept you to the sidelines. A shame about Hardcastle doing that, but that's so typical of what passes for leadership these days: dim-witted, unimaginative bureaucrats who've never had to lift a finger themselves, yet expect the world of their subordinates."

Leslie flinched when she saw his shadow walk by the window in front of her. "But what do you expect?" he continued. "After all, the United States is nothing more than a corporate empire these days. And who better to run a corporate empire than brain-dead office drones? I think it's high time to stir things up. Oh, yes, it's high time indeed."

"What do you want with me?" Leslie asked him.

"I want to help you, Leslie," he replied. "You're a hard working young girl who I want to see succeed."

"Is that why you tied me to a chair in my underwear?"

"Oh, I'm no fool, my dear. The serices I offer fall way outside what is considered the norm these days. Before I could approach you, I had to make sure you weren't armed, nor were you wearing a wire--see, a person like myself, one who walks the wild side, must still take precautions. Besides, you're a mighty fine looking woman who wears scant clothing very well. Do you work out?"

"You said you want to help me? How?"

"Anyway I can. Mainly, by leveling the playing field as much as possible for you. Understand something, Leslie, you're been going after the Batman, but you're actually been fighting an army of his friends and allies--all of whom are arrayed against you. Gordon, for one, Dawes, Montoya and Bullock, and not to mention Batman's good buddy, Olivia Benson! I can help you fight them, I can help you bring them down, and once they're all brought down, then the Batman will be easy pickings for you."

Leslie let out a gasp of surprise when she realized he was standing right behind her. She felt a hand grab her cuffed wrists, and then there was a clinking sound. Leslie sighed with relief when she brought her hands up from behind her back. Apparently her new would-be benefactor had displayed his integrity by freeing her, although her feet were still taped to the chair.

"Well, what do you say, Les?" he asked. "Will you let me help you fight the good fight?"

Leslie had to admit, what he told her sounded very good. She would love nothing more than to see Olivia Benson get knocked down a peg--better yet, Leslie would love seeing Benson be put in jail. But there was still something that bothered her. "What's in it for you? If you help me take down the Batman and his groupies, what do _you_ get out of it?"

He stepped into the light, and held out his hands, which were covered with purple gloves--they were the same color as his impeccably tailored suit. When Leslie glanced up at his face, she let out a gasp of terror--for his visage was a complete garish white, and in that terrifying moment, just as his ruby red lips spilt apart into a morbid grin, Leslie knew just who she was dealing with.

"Let's just say that I've got an ax to grind with this particular bunch of people," the Joker told her.

He began to chuckle just then, and the chuckle turned into a wild, hyena-like laughter that sent chills down Leslie's spine.

**To Be Continued....**


	6. Chapter 6

_My thanks--as always--to Ray1, RebelByrdie, EroSlackerMicha, Barbarossa Rotbart and theoldman for their reviews._

**Batman & Benson**

**Chapter Six**

Lucius Fox stood by the massive window and peered out at the city of Los Angeles. It was five thirty am here on the west coast, which meant that it would be about eight thirty in Gotham City right now. Lucius wondered how Bruce and the others were faring back in Gotham--and he momentarily felt guilty at having left them behind to deal with the rising Cadmus threat, but he just couldn't leave Nora alone. Bruce had said that he understood perfectly when Lucius explained how he wanted to stay with the ill woman all throughout her treatment. Yet Lucius still couldn't shake the remorseful feeling that he'd deserted Bruce just when he and the others needed him the most.

He glanced back at the slumbering Nora Fries in her hospital bed and let out a heavy sigh. Nora had received all of the experimental treatments, and had responded favorably. The doctors said that it was now basically a waiting game to see if she woke up. However, they had said that over several days ago, and Nora had yet to awaken. Lucius knew that the longer she stayed trapped in her inexorable coma, the worse her chances were of ever emerging from it.

'Well, I'll remain here, whether she awakes or not,' Lucius thought, as he pulled out his laptop, 'but that doesn't mean I can't get any work done in the meantime.'

After unlocking his laptop with the password, Lucius opened the designs for the latest project he had been working on: a new Batwing that was far more lighter, and sleeker than either the one that Batman was using now, or the old one that was destroyed by Mr. Freeze. As Lucius looked over his designs with a critical eye, he found fault with one thing. This new Batwing didn't have the armor of the current version, which originally began life as a Justice League transport called the Javelin, before the Dark Knight had appropriated it for his own use.

'There should be a trade-off for the lack of armor,' Lucius thought. 'Especially in light of recent news that McHenry Air Force base will be stepping up their patrols over and around Gotham City in an attempt to catch the Batwing.'

Lucius' brow furrowed as he sought to find what the trade off for the lack of armor could be--until he saw the black color of the bat-like design he'd chosen for the new Batwing, which would help it to blend in with its nighttime environs…and then it struck him.

It was so obvious.

"Stealth technology," Lucius murmured with a smile. "Yeah…."

He imagined the outer skin of the new Batwing covered in the same radar-reflecting surface of the stealth fighter. The technology wouldn't be too hard to get a hold of, since Wayne Tech helped to design it for the Air Force. The new Batwing may not be as large, nor as heavily armored as its predecessor, but it would have the one advantage that none of the prior Batwings had: the ability to be invisible to radar and any other electronic sensors. In fact, it was such a revolutionary idea for Lucius that it was hard for him to think of this new vehicle as being a mere Batwing. It should have its own name, like the Tumbler.

"The Prowler," Lucius said softly, as he typed the name onto the design schematic. "Yeah, that's it…."

"What?" a woman asked.

Lucius looked over and saw a sight that stunned him so much that he nearly dropped his laptop.

Nora Fries sat up in bed, staring at him intently with a puzzled look on her face.

"Hey," Lucius said, with a broad smile, as he quickly closed the laptop and went over to her. He was still stunned to see her looking so alert and awake. "Nora! How are you feeling?"

"Who are you?" she warily asked. "And where is my husband? Where's Victor?"

**B&B**

"Mr. Luthor," General Hardcastle angrily said, "I have had about as much as I can take of you right now."

Lex Luthor merely shook his head as he strode about in a tight circle within Hardcastle's office. Luthor's personal assistant and bodyguard, Mercy Graves, stood by the door with her arms folded, as if this would somehow intimidate Hardcastle, a man who had seen combat at close hand.

"I thought we had an understanding that I would take Superman down for you, so long as I wound up keeping him as _my_ prisoner, General," Luthor said, his tone harsh.

"We had an agreement that you would aid Cadmus in its apprehension of the metas, which you've done so in a rather admirable fashion," Hardcastle admitted. "I daresay that, had it not been for you, we never would have been able to capture Superman, or several other more powerful metas."

Hardcastle then shook his head. "But as far as keeping Superman prisoner for yourself, that's out of the question. Aside from the ethical and legal problems of handing over a prisoner to a private citizen, there's also the fact that Superman is one of the most powerful of all the metas--if not _the _most powerful of them all. And the best place to keep someone with his power contained is right here, at the Cadmus prison facility."

Luthor had a disgusted look on his face as he turned towards his bodyguard and said, "This is what you get when you work for the government, Mercy, a royal fu--"

When Hardcastle's phone beeped, he was only too happy to answer it. "Yes?"

"Excuse me, General," Doctor Donovan said. "But you wanted to be informed if there was a change with Mr. Freeze."

Hardcastle frowned at this. All Freeze did day after day was sit on the edge of his bunk in his cell with his eyes closed. "What's he doing?"

"Perhaps it's best to show you, sir," Donovan said cryptically. "It's really major."

"I'll be right down," Hardcastle said. He punched a button that hung up the call, then pressed another button on the phone. When Sergeant Greenly answered in the outside office, Hardcastle said, "Come in."

Mercy flinched when the door behind her abruptly opened, and the big, hefty bulk of Sergeant Greenly swept into the office.

As he got up from his desk, Hardcastle nodded at Greenly and said, "Sergeant, please escort Mr. Luthor and his friend off the base."

"Yes sir!" Greenly said with a crisp salute. Then he turned to Luthor and Mercy Graves and added, "Will you two please come with me?"

Luthor glared dangerously at Hardcastle. "This isn't over, General."

"Oh, I think it is, Mr. Luthor," Hardcastle said smugly. "Your services are no longer required at the present time. And I think it would be best for you and Ms. Graves to leave right now--or else we'll be more than happy to make more permanent accommodations here for you."

If Luthor was bothered by Hardcastle's threat, he didn't show it. Instead he and Graves grimly allowed themselves to be escorted out of Hardcastle's office by Sergeant Greenly.

'The sheer arrogance of that man,' Hardcastle thought with disgust, as he strode to the private elevator that was hidden behind a sliding bookcase. 'Still, he's no fool. Luthor may be a genius with a lot of resources at his command, but he knows better than to try and take on Cadmus in an all-out fight.'

As he entered the elevator and rode down to the prison levels, Hardcastle mused over how well this war had been going for them so far. Just about all of the more dangerous metas have either been captured, or were on the run.

'All except Batman,' Hardcastle thought with a frown. 'That damned specter keeps hiding in the shadows of Gotham City. Perhaps it's time we took a more direct approach in dealing with him. I should give Tony Stark a call later and ask him what he thinks Iron Man can do with the Batman situation. Hell, maybe Iron Man can just sweep all of Gotham City clean of the metas who've infested that blighted place.'

Hardcastle smiled slightly as he emerged from the elevator and onto the floor where Mr. Freeze was being kept. 'Tony Stark,' he happily thought. 'Now _there's_ the best kind of genius: a true patriot and a sturdy team player who can be trusted.'

Donovan waited for him in the hallway outside of the watch room for this prison level--which had been exclusively devoted to Mr. Freeze. "Thank you for coming, General."

"What is it?" Hardcastle asked.

They entered the watch room, which contained a wall of monitors which would normally keep surveillance on the prisoners on this level. But now, there were just a few of the monitors on, and they kept a close eye on Mr. Freeze, who stood in the center of his cell as rigid as a statue.

Hardcastle grimaced when he saw Freeze again. Here was an unnatural meta if there ever was one. The damned man--if he could be even called that--didn't sleep, nor did he eat. He usually just sat or stood in his cell as if he were some bizarre guru who was meditating the hours away.

"Look here," Donovan said, as he pointed to a monitor that had a recording keyed up.

Hardcastle watched as the recording showed Freeze sitting on the edge of his bed, staring off into space. Then Freeze's eyes shot open as he suddenly stood up--it was as if the man had been shocked with a cattle prod.

Freeze then gazed up at the ceiling and whispered one word.

"Nora…."

"That's it?" Hardcastle asked. "It just means that he's going crazy. So what?"

Donovan gazed at him steadily. "Have you seen the news recently, General?"

"No, I've been too busy. I haven't had the chance. Why?"

Donovan showed Hardcastle his iPhone, which displayed a news website. The headline, located under the health section, read: WOMAN MAKES MIRACLE RECOVERY!

Hardcastle took the iPhone from Donovan and went on to read about how Nora Fries, Mr. Freeze's wife, had suddenly awoken from her deadly coma early this morning.

"I called the hospital in LA, and pretended to be a reporter," Donovan breathlessly told him. "They told me that she awoke around five thirty this morning. See the time on the recording, General? It's eight thirty, Eastern Standard Time. He _knew_, General. The moment his wife awoke from her coma, on the other side of the freaking continent, Mr. Freeze knew she was awake at that exact same instant!"

Just as Hardcastle was struggling to absorb this information, one of his soldiers pointed at the monitors and urgently said, "General!"

Hardcastle was startled when he glanced up at the live feed, which showed Mr. Freeze was grinning right at him. 'No…get a grip,' Hardcastle told himself. 'He's just staring at a camera in his cell. He can't possibly know that I'm--'

"Good morning, General," Mr. Freeze said in a low voice. "I do hope you are enjoying this lovely day."

A stunned Hardcastle whirled on Donovan and said, "You told him I was here!"

But Donovan frantically shook his head. "No, I didn't, sir! I swear!"

"Soldier, give me your sidearm," Hardcastle ordered the man at the console.

When the soldier gave him his .45, Hardcastle stormed out of the room and down the hall, towards Mr. Freeze's cell. Once he stood in front of the cell doorway, Hardcastle aimed the gun right at the frozen monstrosity.

Mr. Freeze merely stood and smiled serenely at him.

"General, you can't shoot him," Donovan cried from down the hall. "The shield will just deflect the bullet--it'll ricochet all over the place."

"Then lower the shield!" Hardcastle commanded. "He's not covered in ice, now. A bullet will kill him."

"Will you take full responsibility, General?" another voice asked.

Hardcastle glanced over and saw Dr. Hugo Strange had joined Donovan in the hallway. "We're under orders from Washington to keep Mr. Freeze alive for study," Strange said. "So if you kill him, General, will you take full responsibility? Are you prepared to lose your job here over this?"

"Damn it," Hardcastle muttered, as he lowered the gun. He saw Freeze still smiling smugly at him, and said, "If I had my way, you'd get put down like the animal that you are, you frozen son of a bitch."

"You may well get that chance," Mr. Freeze said, his smile now turning into a grin. "For a reckoning is coming, my dear General Hardcastle. And it's coming for us all."

Hardcastle wanted nothing more than to shoot the bastard into a million pieces right then and there. But he was a professional soldier who followed orders. Still, as he rode the elevator back up to his office, he could not help but feel enraged at the tense encounter with Mr. Freeze.

'He's one of the Batman's playmates from Gotham City,' Hardcastle realized. 'Gotham City…it really would benefit the entire world if that damned town were razed to the ground…with its rotten, corrupt citizens still in the buildings….'

Although he knew he could never order such a thing--as much as he wanted to--Hardcastle still knew of a good first step in finally bringing that corrupt, insane asylum of a city to heel.

Once he entered his office, Hardcastle immediately went to his desk and placed a call to Tony Stark.

**B&B**

"Here we go," Alfred said, as he placed an English muffin on the table in front of Alex. He gestured at the assortment of honey, jams and other low-fat toppings on a tray that he'd placed beside the muffin. "And take your pick, Alex. Mix and match, if you choose."

Yet Alex still stared despondently at the meager meal. She was still clad in her robe and pajamas. Alfred had wanted to whip her up a proper breakfast, but she said that she wasn't in the mood--not that he could really blame her. Receiving word that you were a wanted fugitive could put a rather nasty dent into anyone's day. Still, Alfred tried his best to cheer Alex up. If she wouldn't eat a regular breakfast, then he thought that perhaps she could stomach an English muffin.

However, Alex just sat there at the kitchen table, gazing thoughtfully at the English muffin. Alfred was about to ask if there was something else she would like, until Sam Spade entered the kitchen.

"Morning," the other fugitive from justice said cheerily, as she grabbed a glass and poured herself some apple juice. Casually clad in jeans and a plain, seasonable blouse, Sam had her blond hair bound into a pony tail behind her head.

"There's plenty of orange juice," Alfred informed her. "Should you desire it, Agent Spade."

"I hate OJ; gives me terrible heartburn," she replied. "And, please, Alfred, call me Sam."

Sam then sat down at the table and gazed in sympathy at the despairing Alex. Sam, along with the others, had heard Rachel give Alex the bad news last night--after Rachel had received a frantic phone call from Commissioner Gordon. "Did you get any sleep?"

Alex glanced up at her, as if noticing Sam's presence for the first time. "Uh, no, not a wink….too edgy…."

"Believe me, Alex, I know what you're going through," Sam said, after a sip of her apple juice. "So, since you're now a wanted fugitive, just like me, I was thinking of teaching you some kind of arts and crafts activities, like making illegal passports, or making dummy credit cards. That sound like fun?"

Alex just shot her an annoyed look. "What the _hell_ are you talking about?"

"Fugitive arts and crafts is all the rage these days, Alex," Sam insisted. "Martha Stewart even did a show on forging passports--and she should be an expert on that, since she's been a wanted felon herself, you know."

Alex just stared at Sam as if she were crazy…until a smile suddenly formed on her face. And before she knew it, Alex had burst into laughter.

Alfred furtively smiled his approval at Sam, who gave him a little wink in response. Sam had managed to do what Alfred had been trying--and failed--to do, she made Alex laugh and forget her troubles for a moment.

Logan briskly entered the kitchen, noticed the laughter from Alex and Sam, and muttered, "You two seem mighty carefree for a pair of wanted fugitives."

Alex instantly ceased laughing and reverted back to her morose state as Sam shot Logan a murderous look. Alfred dropped his head into his hand in disgust as he thought, 'Mr. Logan is truly a bull in a china shop, isn't he?'

Logan just momentarily stared at all of them in puzzlement, then said, "What?"

"Would you like some breakfast, Mr. Logan?" Alfred asked, ignoring the question by putting on his best, professional manner.

"Yeah, sure," Logan said with a nod. "Whatever you got is fine."

"Eggs and bacon--or eggs with ham?"

"Eggs with ham sounds great," Logan replied. "Sunny side up, with toast."

"Canadian?" Alfred asked. "Or domestic?"

Logan stared at him with his brow furrowed. "Excuse me?"

"The ham," Sam angrily told Logan. "He wants to know what type of ham you want."

"Oh, yeah…uh, Canadian's fine, thanks, Alfred." Logan got himself some coffee and sat down at the table with the women.

"Hey, Alfred," Alex suddenly said. "Is it too late to order breakfast?"

"For you, Alex, never," he warmly replied. "What would you like?"

"What he's having is fine," Alex answered, as she gestured at Logan. "Sunny side up with toast here, too."

"Make it a triple?" Sam eagerly asked.

"Three orders of sunny side up eggs and Canadian bacon, with all the trimmings, coming right up," Alfred promised them.

"Is anybody else joining us," Logan asked Alfred, "or is it just you, me, and Thelma & Louise here?"

After exchanging an outraged look with Sam, Alex turned to Logan and asked, "Are you always this warm and sensitive?"

"It's still early; I haven't even begun to turn on the charm, yet," he replied with a broad grin. "Anybody know if Olivia will be joining us?"

"Olivia and Rachel are presently at work in the city," Alfred informed Logan, as he began to prepare the meal. "The others are all still sleeping--with Barbra, Kara and Kitty having went to bed just very recently! I must say that I was most disconcerted when I caught these young women still awake early this morning, all still trying to solve the mystery of the Cadmus laptop within the Batcave. I ordered them to cease their endeavors and get straight to bed."

"Did they have any luck?" Alex asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Alfred replied, as he finished cracking eggs into the pan. "Kara reports that while using her X-ray vision, she detected some sort of a trigger device which may cause the computer to self-destruct if handled improperly. Which was all the more reason why I thought it was a good idea for them to stop."

"Jeez, Cadmus doesn't miss a damn trick, do they?" Sam asked.

"Take my word for it, they're evil sons of bitches," Logan commented darkly, as he took a drink of his coffee. Then, as he placed his cup on the table, his mood brightened. "Say, you guys know Olivia pretty well, right?"

"Yeah," Alex said suspiciously. "Why?"

"Just wondering if she's seeing anybody, that's all," Logan replied with an easy shrug. "She's a mighty fine looking woman…."

Alfred glanced over his shoulder as he turned over the sizzling Canadian bacon with a spatula. "Olivia is indeed spoken for, Mr. Logan."

Logan looked crushed. "Really? Damn! Who's the lucky stiff, Alfred?"

Alex angrily leaned over the table. "I am!"

"No, seriously…" Logan said with a hearty laugh--then he stopped dead once he saw that Alex had truly meant it. "Oh, wow…you and Olivia…really?"

Sam leaned over and whispered, "You're a little slow on the uptake, huh?"

"Hey, give me a break--I haven't had my coffee, yet!" he shot back. Then he glanced over at Alex with an awkward look and added, "Um, sorry. Didn't know."

"Apology accepted," Alex said with a nod.

"Liv would never be interested in a big lug like you anyway," Sam primly told Logan.

With a smug smile, he leaned over and quietly asked, "And what about you, Sam? Would _you_ be interested in a big lug like me?"

Sam barked out a laugh as she gave him a shocked look. "You know, if _you're_ considered the best that the X-Men have, then I sincerely worry for us all…."

When her cell phone began to ring, Alex picked it up and glanced at the screen. What she saw there made Alex's eyes grow wide behind her glasses. "Oh, God, no…."

Alfred had just finished placing the plates of their steaming hot breakfast before them on the table. "Something wrong, Alex?"

"It's a text message from the Power family," Alex replied. "Their children are all extremely powerful metas. I've been in contact with them, trying to get them to take refuge in Gotham City, but they've never been able to make it here…until now. Maggie Power just texted me: they're here, now, in Gotham City, and they need me to meet with them right away."

"You can't go," Alfred told her. "You're a wanted fugitive."

Alex thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. "I have no choice, Alfred. They know me; they trust me. I have to be there for them. I _have_ to go."

"Alex, going into Gotham City by yourself right now would be most unwise," Alfred warned her.

"She's not going alone," Sam announced. "I'm going with her."

"And I'm joining Thelma & Louise here on their little spree," Logan added. He glanced at Alex. "How big a family are we talking here? How many kids?"

"Four," Alex replied. "Alex, Julie, Jack and Katie--all of whom have powers. The parents, James and Maggie Power, aren't metas. But look, you guys don't have to--"

"Oh, yes we do," Logan said, as he and Sam both rose from the table.

"You'll need back up for this," Sam somberly told her. "And that's what we'll be providing for you."

"Thanks so much," Alex said with relief. "I really appreciate this."

"Please, all of you," Alfred pleaded, "just be extremely careful!"

"Don't worry, Alfred," Sam assured him, "I'm bringing my gun."

"With me along for the ride, kiddo, you won't need to be packing heat," Logan told her.

"It's because of _you _that I'm bringing the gun, Logan," Sam deadpanned.

As they walked out the door, Logan glanced back at Alfred and confided, "She's really nuts about me…."

After they had left, Alfred stared dismally at the extravagant breakfast that he had made--which now sat uneatened on the table. 'Such is the life for a servant of heroes,' Alfred philosophically thought, as he calmly cleared the table of the drinks.

It was when Alfred picked up two of the still-hot plates from the table that Lana, Chloe and a bleary-eyed looking Kitty had entered the kitchen. All three of them were still clad in their pajamas.

"Morning, Alfred!" Chloe cheerily said.

"Good morning, ladies," Alfred warmly greeted them. Then, getting an idea, he offered them the plates of eggs and Canadian bacon. "Breakfast?"

**B&B**

Irene Sadler let out a weary sigh when she saw Bobby, her one and only son, dragging his heels once more at the front door.

"Bobby, come on," Irene said with annoyance. "You're going to miss the school bus!"

"Maybe it's just as well, mom," the boy said. "I don't feel like going to school, today…."

"Oh, don't start with me again," Irene warned him. "You're going, and that's final!"

She opened the door of their row house, which was situated in the Collow Way district of Gotham City, in front of a busy street that had traffic flowing day and night. It was a good, decent neighborhood with a great school. Irene shook her head when she saw the school bus was already waiting there by the curb for them.

"See?" she said to her son. "They're here! Now get going."

Bobby glanced up at her with an anxious expression on his face. "I really don't wanna go to school today. Could I just stay home for this one day, please, mom?"

Despite her best effort, Irene almost felt her heart melt with sympathy, and she very nearly told her son that he could stay home today. But Irene and her husband didn't work as hard as they did to get the boy into the exclusive Darthmoore school just so he could slack off whenever he felt like it.

"You are getting on that bus, young man!" Irene firmly told her son, as she grabbed the boy's hand and led him towards the school bus. She waved back at Arnie, the driver, who had waved at them. "Here he is, Arnie! Finally!"

Bobby was about to stomp angrily aboard the bus when Irene made him turn around so that he could give her a goodbye kiss. Yet just when Bobby turned to kiss her, his eyes grew wide at something he saw just behind Irene.

Before Irene even had time to react, a man rudely shoved her to the ground and then stepped aboard the bus, shoving a frightened Bobby down into one of the seats.

"Hey!" Arnie said, as he got up to confront the man--then he paused when the man turned to face him. And Arnie took a step back in shock as he realized that the man wore a gas mask over his face.

Just as Irene got to her feet, she reacted in terror as two more gas masked men appeared by her side and quickly boarded the bus. The first man turned towards the yelling students in the back of the bus and held something up in his hand.

Irene never got a good look at what the man had, because the other two gas masked men had grabbed Arnie and shoved him off of the bus. Arnie lost his footing on the steps and collided into Irene, knocking her back down to the gutter.

Just as she tried to help a shaken Arnie to get off of her, Irene let out a wild scream as she witnessed something explode within the bus, causing the children, including her Bobby, to react in panic. The explosion created a large cloud of billowing white smoke within the passenger section of the bus--and a horrified Irene instantly knew why the men wore gas masks; they were gassing the children.

One of the gas masked men sat down in the driver's seat and closed the door while the other two continued to throw gas bombs at the unnerved children, who all reacted in a wild frenzy. Irene shoved Arnie to one side and stood up just in time to see Bobby peering fearfully at her through one of the bus windows.

"MOMMY!" he cried, as he pounded on the glass.

And then the bus took off down the street at a high speed.

"NO! BOBBY!" Irene screamed. She ran as fast as she could after the bus. She was still in her pajamas and robe, but it didn't matter--right now, nothing mattered more to Irene than getting her baby back safe from harm.

But the bus was too fast, it was already all the way down the street and turning onto Conrad Avenue. Irene could see several of the children in the rear windows of the bus had now stopped struggling and had collapsed from the white gas. Irene kept right on running, not caring in the slightest if she looked like a madwoman to her neighbors, as she tried to give chase to a bus that was now well out of her sight.

Irene was finally stopped by several workers from the construction site on the corner. Seeing the melee from their high vantage point, they had already left their jobs and poured out onto the street to see what they could do to help. It took two of them just to hold the distraught Irene back, while a third had tried to assure her that 911 had already been called.

"The cops are coming, lady," he told her. "The cops are coming!"

But Irene didn't care; all she wanted to do was to hunt down the bastards who had just stolen her son. She just wanted to get Bobby back safe--her little boy, who didn't even want to go to school today.

"Why didn't I listen to him?!" she cried in hysterics up at the sky. "Oh, God, why didn't I listen to Bobby and just kept him home?!"

**B&B**

'Sweet Jesus,' Olivia thought, 'what's this world coming to?'

About two hours after the school bus abduction had been reported, Olivia stood in a vast, unused warehouse--one of many such deserted places in the Iron View section of Gotham City--and stared at the abandoned school bus. A Gotham City Police chopper had sighted the wayward bus parked in here, and called it in. Yet once they had all arrived here, the bus was found left idling with the door left open. There was no sign of the kidnapped students, nor of their abductors. Karen Preen and her SWAT team were still going over the warehouse, searching every nook and cranny--but Olivia had a sinking feeling that the children would not be found here.

'This was a transfer point,' Olivia grimly realized. 'A place where the kidnappers moved the children from the bus to another method of transportation. Probably a truck, judging from the number of children who have been abducted.'

Detectives John Jones and Kate Farlane strode up to her just then. "It does not appear they are here, Olivia," Jones solemnly intoned.

"We've gone along with SWAT on their search of the place," Kate spoke up. "No sign of them."

Olivia nodded. "Yeah, that's what I figured. We should be looking for a truck--one big enough to transport a large number of people. The abducted children were all knocked out by the gas, so the abductors might have had a larger group waiting for them here to help load the kids into the transfer vehicle."

"Should we include buses in our search as well?" Kate asked.

Olivia shook her head. "If you're transporting a bunch of unconscious schoolchildren, you'd want a truck, Kate. Something with no windows, so you prevent people from peering inside."

"Yeah, but--" Kate started to say, then stopped herself.

"What is it, Katie?" John asked her.

"Nothing," she said, looking disturbed.

"Kate, spit it out," Olivia told her. "Remember my golden rule? Everybody in my unit speaks their mind. So, if you got something to say, then say it."

"It's just that you're assuming that the kids are all still alive," Kate said, with an uneasy look. "But we don't really know that for sure, do we?"

"I understand your feelings; it's natural to assume the worse," Olivia said. "But, bear in mind, that for these bastards to go through the effort they went through in transporting these kids, then there's a very good chance that they're all still alive. And that's going to be _my_ assumption as I work this case--at least until I know for sure otherwise. Got it?"

"Got it, Inspector," Kate said with a nod.

Karen Preen walked over, dismally shaking her head. She was clad in SWAT black, sans her helmet. "My people have searched the entire warehouse, and even the warehouses next door. But there's nothing. Nobody here."

"Ok, could you do me a favor and have your people stand guard on the bus?" Olivia asked her. "I don't want anybody near it or inside it until the CSU gets here."

Preen nodded. "Will do, Inspector."

As the SWAT commander turned away to give new orders to her team, Olivia saw Mike and Andrea run up to her.

"Checked the neighborhood, nobody else is in this area," Mike reported. "All of these warehouses are empty."

"Which means that nobody saw anything," Andrea added.

"What about surveillance cameras?" Olivia asked them. "You see any in the area?"

When they both shook their heads Olivia let out a disgusted sigh. "That's just great," Olivia muttered with disgust. "There are countless surveillance cameras everywhere, all invading our privacy by monitoring our every move--but try and use them to catch criminals in the act, and they're nowhere to be found!"

"Which would explain why the abductors would choose this area in the first place," John pointed out. "No prying eyes."

"Exactly," Olivia conceded. "Ok, Mike and Andrea: do a background check on this place, and find out if this warehouse really is abandoned. If somebody _does_ own it, I want to know who, all right?"

Mike nodded as he and Andrea already turned to leave. "Got it, Inspector."

Olivia turned to speak with Kate and John, until her cell phone rang. When she answered it, Bruce spoke. "The abduction of the school children were committed by Talia al Ghul," he said.

"You sure?" she asked, shocked.

"I knew it even before I got the confirmation. If she's anything like her father, this would be her style. She wanted to get my attention."

"Wait, what confirmation?"

"I've emailed the url of a website to you now, Sis. It'll explain everything. Stop by when you can. I'll need your help."

He hung up just then. Olivia then checked her Blackberry for emails and found one from a disposable email account. When she opened the email, she saw a website address listed as a clickable link.

"Something wrong?" John asked.

"No, actually, it's something right," she told him. "I just got a tip from an informant."

When a long black limosine pulled into the warehouse, Olivia knew that Gordon had arrived. As the rear door opened, James Gordon got out with Rachel. Olivia went up to her boss and gave him a full report on everything that had occurred so far. Then she held up her Blackberry and asked, "Did either of you bring an internet-connected laptop--it'll be better for all of us to watch on than my Blackberry."

Rachel gave Olivia her laptop, which she had set up on the hood of the limo. As Olivia typed in the url that Bruce had sent her, Gordon asked, "Do you know who gave this to you?"

"Our 'mutual friend'," Olivia slyly answered.

Both Gordon and Rachel nodded their heads in understanding. "I wondered if he had received word about this," Gordon said quietly. "Good to see he's still on top of things even when he's supposed to be off duty."

When Olivia clicked on the arrow symbol of the laptop's browser, a video image of a figure shrouded in darkness appeared on the screen. The figure was a woman, and she wore a black cloak that covered her head, obscuring most of her face. Only her chin was visable, and it moved as she spoke in a clipped, almost elegant sounding accent that wasn't quite British.

"To the man who killed my father," she stated in a calm tone, "I have something that you want."

The image then cut to the horrifying sight of the kidnapped schoolchildren, who were all awake and imprisoned in what looked like the dankest, darkest dungeon Olivia had ever seen. She, Rachel and Gordon all watched, mortified, from the god-like angle of a camera that was perched high on the wall. It coldly showed a collection of screaming, crying boys and girls who were all meekly huddled together in the center of the chamber, where the only light shone.

The image was then replaced with the mysterious woman, whom Olivia knew--and now despised--as Talia al Ghul.

"Surrender yourself to me by midnight, tonight," she solemnly said. "Or they shall all die a most terrible death, one filled with the worst suffering and agony. If anyone other than the Batman tries to rescue the children, they die. We shall record their torturous last moments of life and post it online as a symbol of your cowardice, Batman. So, for your sake--as well as for the children's--you had better be here, and on time."

The video ended just then. A graphic of a curved arrow appeared, an automatic invitation to play it again--Olivia was so sickened by the sight she had seen that it took everything she had not to fling the laptop to the concrete floor in rage.

'Those poor kids,' she thought sadly. 'Oh, Christ....'

"Does our 'mutual friend' know who that is?" Gordon asked.

"Talia al Ghul," Olivia replied. "The daughter of Ra's al Ghul."

"Bitch!" Rachel spat out, as she glared at the computer screen.

Gordon nodded soberly. "I take it that our 'mutual friend' is working this case from his end. And I'm quite happy with that. But that still doesn't mean that _we_ get the day off--understand, Liv?"

"No, sir," Olivia firmly agreed. "I've got the entire Special Victims Unit devoting all of its resources to working this case, nonstop, 24/7."

"Good, very good, Olivia," Gordon said with a sigh. "Here's hoping this gets resolved smoothly, without it getting any worse."

Rachel gave him a stunned look. "How much more worse can it get than _this_, Jim?"

"Things could _always_ be worse, Rachel," Gordon said wearily. "For instance, we could be facing the Joker right now…."

**B&B**

"La de dum, da dee dee dum…."

The Joker sang to himself absently as he looked over his prized possesions from his encounter with Leslie Curnow--all items that were taken from her while she was still unconscious.

He paused in his admiration when he heard a newscaster on the radio babble on about a busload of schoolchildren who've been abducted. The Joker picked up his gun and shot the radio right off of the table. He never liked hearing bad news--especially when he wasn't the cause of it--and the fact that somebody had started the party in Gotham City without him was really very annoying. Once he was done with Curnow, the Joker would have to deal with whoever abducted these kids, and let them know the error of their ways.

'Because, if anybody's gonna cause chaos in Gotham City,' he thought with a broad smile, 'it's gonna be me!'

When the doorbell rang, the Joker got up and checked the monitors by the door. The bank of cameras he had set up outside told him that his visitor was Inspector Leslie Curnow, here for the meeting that he'd arranged--and, just like the proper little solider girl that she truly was, Curnow was prompt.

"God bless the United States Army," the Joker happily said, as he pressed a buzzer which opened the door. He then removed the items he had been viewing from the table and got up.

He stood well within in the shadows that surrounded the table, which was lit from above by a lone light bulb that dangled from a wire. He supposed he could have just waited for her to enter the room, but the Joker loved theatricality above all else. If you can't do something with style, then why bother doing it at all?

Curnow entered the room cautiously, with her hand hovering over the gun in her holster. "Hello?"

"Are you alone?" the Joker asked, as he remained hidden within the shadows. He knew full well that Curnow was alone, but he still had his part to play in this fun little drama.

"Yes, I am," she firmly replied, as she squinted into the darkness. "Where are you?"

The Joker picked up the bulky file that he'd prepared for her and walked out into the light. He handed the sealed file to Curnow.

"Take that and leave, quickly," he said, adding a touch of urgency to his voice. "I don't know how safe this place for the both of us."

Curnow gazed at the sealed file as if it were the holy grail. "Is this it?"

"Yes, it's all the information--and evidence--you need to bring down Gordon, Dawes, and Benson," the Joker told her. "Just as I promised you."

"What about the mayor?" Curnow asked. "Will anything in here affect him, too?"

"Think of it as being a house of cards, my dear," the Joker told her. "You bring down the lower floors--Gordon and the others--and the mayor will fall as well."

Curnow nodded as she tucked the folder under her arm. She glanced over at him. "Thank you."

He gave her a little bow. "I'm glad you appreciate the gesture on my part, Inspector Curnow. Now go and use that information well, partner."

"I will," she promised him. She began to warily back out of the room. "I look forward to us meeting again."

"I shall count the minutes, until our reunion," the Joker said, as she blew her a kiss. "Farewell, my dearest!"

Curnow gave him a disgusted look just before she walked out the door with the file.

"Beautiful," the Joker said, as he clasped his hands together, "just beautiful!"

**B&B**

When Leslie got to her car, she got in and quickly drove away from the abandoned storefront. Yet, as she drove, Leslie kept peering greedily over at the sealed file that sat on the empty passenger seat. Once she was safely several blocks away from the Joker's hideout, Leslie pulled the car over so that she could take a look at the file.

She just couldn't wait to see what dirt the Joker had dug up on Benson, Gordon and Dawes. And once she had used this evidence against them, and swept them aside, Leslie would then bring the Batman to his knees by hunting him down like the vermin he really was. And then, after she'd taken down the Batman, Leslie had plans to do the same with the Joker--just for good measure.

As she pulled off the seal on the file, Leslie happily thought: 'I'll clean up Gotham City single-handedly, and make Hardcastle see that I'm no longer somebody that he can just--'

Yet once she opened the file, Leslie was startled when it exploded in her face with a shower of confetti and little sparkles. She dropped the file all over the passenger seat, and was further stunned to see that the words on all of the pages were written in crayon.

Leslie picked up one of the pages and saw that all was written on it was "HA HA HA" over and over and over again. That was how it was with each and every page--the so-called file that was filled with evidence against Gordon, Benson and Dawes contained nothing more than the childish scrawls of "HA HA HA" written endlessly on and on.

Leslie, enraged, threw the file down on the floor of her car. "That crazy son of a bitch!"

**B&B**

The Joker had collected all of the camcorders and brought them with him in a duffel bag as he strode out to the parking lot behind the abandoned store front. He took a seat in the rear of a black sedan and spoke to the driver, a big, beefy man: "Home, James!"

The driver, whose name was really Lenny, turned and said, "Uh, that ain't my name, Joker…."

"YOUR NAME IS WHATEVER THE_ HELL_ I WANT TO CALL YOU!" the Joker roared. "NOW GET THIS TUB MOVING!"

Lenny, in mortal fear for his life, got the car moving.

The Joker sat back in the seat and retrieved one of the camcorders from the duffel bag. He flipped open the view screen and rolled the tape. He smiled when he saw the perfectly shot footage of Inspector Curnow accepting the file from him. "Oh, you photograph very well, my dear Inspector. Yes, very nice…"

He then removed a still-picture digital camera and reviewed the pictures that he took of Curnow when she was unconscious last night. Before he had tied her to the chair, the Joker had set up a series of intimate poses with himself and Curnow--whom he had stripped down to her bra and panties--where it looked as if she were locked with him in a tender embrace. It was a series of photos that the Joker figured would no doubt be quite popular, once he posted them to the internet.

But the crème de la crème of the items that the Joker had in the duffel bag was a simple card that he had taken from Curnow last night--also while she was unconscious. Apparently, the stupid bitch still didn't realize that it was missing. It was a simple access card with a magnetic strip; one that was given to all top law enforcement officials within the Gotham City Police Department.

This card was the real reason the Joker had targeted Curnow, because it was a fast-track access key through a side gate of Arkham Asylum that allowed a quick entrance for the police during an emergency. With this in his possession, the Joker now had easy access to one of the most dangerous hospitals for the criminally insane in the world.

As he stared lovingly at the access card, his golden key to a whole new world of possibilities, the Joker happily murmured, "And now the fun can _really_ begin…."

**To Be Continued....**


	7. Chapter 7

_My thanks, as always, to RebelByrdie and Ray1 for their encouraging reviews. They're much appreciated._

**Batman & Benson 5**

**Chapter Seven**

"We've got company!" Langly shouted, as the door buzzer sounded.

"Make them go away," Frohike grumbled, as he typed rapidly at his computer. "We're busy."

"You always say that," Byers chided him, as he went to check the monitor, which displayed what the outside security camera by the front door showed: two gorgeous young women who waited patiently for them to answer.

"It's them." Byers started opening the multiple locks on the door. "They're here."

"The pizza guy _and_ the Chinese food guy showed up at the same time?" Langly said, grinning. "Cool! I wanna try some teriyaki hot sauce on my pizza slice!"

"Your stomach should be listed as a hazardous waste site," Frohike muttered with distain, as he kept typing intently. "Seriously, Langly…."

"No, it's not the delivery guys, it's Lana Lang and Chloe Sullivan," Byers corrected. "The Question called to say that they'd be by, remember?"

"Babes? Here?" Frohike glanced up from his computer for the first time in hours. "Are they hot?"

"Hotter than Scully?" Langly added hopefully.

Frohike shot him a skeptical look. "Is that even _possible_?"

"Please, try and be nice, ok?" Byers pleaded with them, just before he opened the door. He greeted the women and bid them welcome to enter the lair of the Lone Gunmen. Byers made the introductions.

Once he got a good look at Lang and Sullivan, Frohike exchanged a nod with Langly. "Yep," he whispered, "they're hot…."

"Ah, but hotter than Scully?" Langly asked, sotto voce.

Frohike took a moment to think about that--yet before he could reply, Byers swept his hands out grandly and said, "Welcome to _our_ Batcave, as it were."

"Nice," Lana said politely.

"Yeah--it's cool," Chloe added, unimpressed. "Um, no offense, but it doesn't really compare to the real thing."

"You've been in the _real_ Batcave?!" Langly asked, stunned. "No way!"

"Yes way," Chloe told him firmly. Then Chloe made a disgusted face as she shook her head. "Can't believe I just said that…."

"The Question said that they're on a mission from the Batman himself," Byers informed his fellow Gunmen. He turned to the women. "He mentioned that you would give us something?"

"Yes, this." Chloe placed a large bag on a table that Byers had quickly cleared for her.

"And what's this?" Langly asked, his interest aroused.

"What the Batman wanted you guys to have," Lana said, as Chloe uncovered the boxy laptop for them. "This is a computer which belonged to a Cadmus operative, an undercover agent within the Gotham City Police force."

"How did _you_ get it?" Frohike asked.

"Batman assaulted the police station and stole it," Chloe replied with an impish smile.

"Oh, man!" Langly said, an ear to ear grin plastered on his face. "Is he the coolest, most bad-ass SOB around, or what?!"

Byers leaned in to examine the computer. "Looks like a Mark Four Aegis--the standard laptop given to black ops agents."

"No, a Mark Five," Frohike corrected him. He tapped the densely packed mesh on the surface. "Protected against an EMP burst with a lightweight Faraday cage design; this was the latest innovation in the Aegis series."

"You guys have come up against laptops like this before?" Chloe asked.

"Plenty of times," Langly assured her.

"Then you should know about the device that Supergirl warned us about," Chloe said. She produced a drawing. "She drew for us what she saw. It's some sort of a trigger that Supergirl spotted with her X-ray vision."

"The omega trigger," Byers said with a grim nod, as he glanced the drawing. "To prevent anybody unauthorized from gaining access to the laptop. I see they've carried _this _nasty little bugger over to the Mark Five series."

"What, you seriously think the black ops boys were gonna make it easy for us?" Frohike asked him with a smile. "Probably got explosives--no doubt plastique--lined up along the edges inside, set off to blow, just in case we try to pry it open."

When he said that, a wide-eyed Chloe and Lana both took an involuntary step back from the computer on the table.

"Wait," Langly said to the women, "you guys just mentioned something about Supergirl?"

"Yeah, she was there as well," Lana confirmed.

"Supergirl was also with you guys in the _Batcave_?" Langly said, impressed. "Whoa, what kind of a slumber party was _this_, anyway?"

"We never get invited to the best raves," Frohike muttered dismally, as he examined the laptop.

"We'll be busy enough with this thing, in any case," Byers told them.

"So you think you can get the information on the hard drive from this laptop successfully?" Lana asked them.

"Ms. Lang, by this time tomorrow, this computer will be our little bitch," Frohike confidently told her.

Chloe glanced at Lana and said, "Well, _I'm_ satisfied…."

**B&B**

Olivia stormed into the SVU bullpen like a private hurricane, stopping at various desks here and there, asking and answering questions with her troops, before even reaching her office. Thanks to the abduction of the busload of schoolchildren, the SVU--normally a beehive of activity--was now flying at light speed, as all of its detectives were now working feverishly on the same case. Olivia was pleased to see that Linda had already set up a phone bank with cops--both uniformed and detectives--taking every phone single call they received regarding the mass abduction, which had made the national news.

She glanced over at John and Katie, who were hunched over a laptop on one of their desks, while they both intensely listened in to a conference call. Olivia came over and overheard them speaking with a techie from the Gotham City Police's Technical Science Division. This was a new addition to the force, which Gordon had added when they started coming up against more and more high-tech criminals. Olivia had asked John and Katie to have the TSD examine the video of the abducted children to see if they could determine where they were. John reported that the TSD were deep in their examination of the video, but so far had no idea where it was taken.

"They think it might be somewhere in the Iron View section," Katie told Olivia. "But, you know, that's kind of obvious without the tech support…."

"Gordon has dozens of uniformed officers searching the Iron View area in any event," Olivia told her, as she walked to her office. "Please keep me updated, you two."

"We will," John promised her. "If there's anything more you should need, Inspector, just let me know."

Olivia realized that he was discreetly offering his services as the Martian Manhunter. She gave him a nod. "You can bet on that, John."

Linda met Olivia at her office door. "You've got a visitor, Boss. It's Special Agent Jack Malone, FBI."

"Thanks, Linda." As Olivia entered her office, she didn't know if she should dread Malone's presence, or be grateful that he was here.

Malone, who sat in a chair in front of Olivia's desk, quickly got up and greeted her. "Olivia, good to see you again."

"Same here, Jack, I just wish the circumstances were a little better."

"Yeah, I heard about the abductions," he said. "Any luck?"

"We know that somebody by the name of Talia al Ghul is responsible," she replied. "She's using the children as bait to lure Batman."  
"I saw the video online. Do you think the Batman will respond?"

"I know he will," Olivia replied, as she went around to her chair behind the desk. "But why do I get the feeling you're not here for the mass kidnapping?"

He nodded glumly. "You're right, Liv. I was originally sent here to try and get information out of you regarding the whereabouts of Alexandra Cabot. She's a wanted felon, for aiding and abetting other wanted felons."

Olivia eyed him suspiciously. "When did you start working for Cadmus, Jack?"

"Is that what Ms. Cabot told you, Liv?" he countered. "That she's on the run from Cadmus?"

But Olivia was too smart to fall for that old tactic. "I don't know where Alex is--she never came home last night, and I'm worried sick."

Malone leaned over and stared at Olivia over the desk. "You can play dumb with me, Liv. But I know that Gotham City has become a haven for metas who're trying to escape the Cadmus lock down, and word on the streets has it that Ms. Cabot was the main person to see if a meta wanted to disappear in this city."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Olivia firmly said.

"I understand, Olivia, I really do." Malone shook his head. "I think the whole situation of hunting down metas really sucks. But the law is the law, whether we like it or not, and Alex broke it. And I have to bring her in--even if that means searching your home."

"You do whatever you have to, Jack," Olivia told him. "Right now, I have a busload of children whom I need to locate."

"I'm not blind to the crisis that you're facing here, Liv. In fact, because of our past, I'm willing to back off from you on the Cabot investigation for now, while you try and find these kids. But you've got to give me something."

"Like what?"

"Anything. Look, I believe that Sam is somehow involved in all of this, and that you know more than you're letting on about where she is right now."

Olivia grew thoughtful for a moment as she pondered her next move. Then, she took out a piece of paper and wrote something down.

When she handed it to him, Malone glanced at the paper, then at her. "What's this?"

"The interrogation rooms where you'll find a trio of suspects known as The Enforcers," she replied. "The Batman caught them, and we've been sweating them ever since--but so far, they haven't told us anything."

"What's the significance to my case?"

"When we caught them, they all had FBI Ids, even though they're clearly not agents with the bureau," Olivia told him. "And, I have it on good authority that it was The Enforcers who assaulted Agents Spade and Fitzgerald in New York City."

Malone stared at her with suspicion. "How could you know that? You've said that The Enforcers aren't talking. Sam Spade is on the run, and the only other witness to their assault is still in a coma in a New York hospital."

Olivia shook her head with disgust. "You don't truly believe that it was Sam who attacked Martin, do you, Jack?"

"Of course not," he said sharply. "If you know where Sam is, Liv, you'd better--"

"I know where the men who nearly killed Sam and Martin are," Olivia firmly told him. "They're in the interrogation room downstairs, and they're being grilled by two of our best, Detectives Bullock and Montoya. But if The Enforcers see a real fed like you walk in the door, asking about their bogus Ids, that might be just enough pressure to push them into giving a full confession."

"And then Sam will finally come out of hiding?"

Olivia stared at Jack Malone. Chances were very good that he could well be the other traitor whom Sam spoke of--yet a part of her doubted that was truly possible. She couldn't imagine Jack Malone, who was once Sam's lover, being that cold-hearted.

'To hell with it,' Olivia thought, 'I've got to trust my instinct.'

"Sam discovered that Agent Fitzgerald was working with The Enforcers," Olivia told Malone. "But when they began to hurt her, Martin had a change of heart and helped her to fight them. Just before she left him, Sam learned from Martin that there was another traitor within your squad. One of the people working for you is a Cadmus agent, Jack."

Malone placed his hands on the edge of her desk--but this time, it was for support. Olivia saw that her news was so shocking to Malone that it appeared he was about collapse.

"That was why she ran," he said softly. "Sam saw she was being set up--and yet here I was, begging her to just come in…the dumb son of a bitch that I was…."

"You all right, Jack?"

"Yeah," he muttered, as he straightened up. "Listen, I'm gonna get out of your hair right now. I think I'll go talk to some scum bags in your interrogation rooms. Thanks, Liv."

"Any time, Jack."

She waited until he left her office, then Olivia made a call on her cell to Harvey Bullock. She was surprised when Montoya answered. Montoya explained that Harvey was busy grilling one of The Enforcers, so she answered Harvey's phone for him.

Olivia smiled, recalling the days when her old partner Elliot would do the same with her. She told Renee that Jack Malone was coming down to aid in the interrogation. "I'm not entirely sure if Jack's trustworthy," she told Montoya. "So please just watch him carefully, Renee."

"Will do, Liv."

After she hung up, Olivia felt crappy at having done that to Jack behind his back--but she really had no choice. Although she trusted her gut instinct about him, she still had to make completely sure that Jack Malone was working on the side of the angels. Sam's safety depended on it.

"Christ almighty," Olivia wearily muttered, as she slumped into her chair behind the desk. She envied Alex, who was probably lounging around the Manor with Sam right now. It was almost enough to make Olivia wish that she was a fugitive…almost. At least Olivia had immense peace of mind knowing that Alex was safe and sound at Wayne Manor.

When her Blackberry rang, Olivia saw the call was from Alfred. "Hey, Alfred," she cheerfully said into the phone. "What's up?"

"Olivia," he said, his tone dire, "I'm afraid Alex has just left the Manor. She has gone into the city on an urgent mission…."

Olivia just glanced at the ceiling and started to say, "Oh, sh--"

**B&B**

"What do they look like?" Sam asked Alex.

"Well, if you'd just let me come along," Alex said, as she made to get out of the passenger seat of the SUV, "I'll show you…."

But Logan, who sat in the driver's seat, placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "I'm afraid I must insist that you stay, darling. For your own safety."

"He's right Alex," Sam said. "You should stay in the car; you're a wanted felon, after all."

"But so are you," Alex told her. "Why don't you stay with me and we'll send Logan to get the Power family?"

"How old are the Power children, again?" Sam asked.

"The oldest is Alex, who's twelve--why?"

Sam nodded at Logan. "And you want to send _this_ guy looking for a bunch of little kids? They'll be scared out of their wits once they lay eyes on him."

"Hey, I resent that remark!" Logan angrily said. "Kitty doesn't think I'm an ogre…"

"That's because Kitty knows you--the Power kids don't," Sam said, as she covered her hair with a baseball cap. She pulled her ponytail out through the hole in the back of the cap. The light windbreaker Sam had on hid the nine millimeter gun she wore in a hostler on her hip, and, just for good measure, she put on her sunglasses. "Besides, I'm less threatening."

"She has a point, there, Logan," Alex told him. She glanced back at Sam and added, "Just look for a family with four kids--two girls and two boys--with the oldest being a boy of twelve years."

Sam nodded. "Check. Be back in five minutes. And, if I'm not back in five, then get the hell out of here."

"If you're not back in five, Sam, we're coming after you," Logan firmly told her. "I _still_ think this could be a damn trap."

Sam shot him a sly smile. "Why, Logan, I didn't know you cared!"

"You're growing on me, blondie, but that don't mean that we're in love," he said gruffly.

"Hey, I'll take what I can get," Sam muttered, as she moved towards Finger Plaza. She thought that was a strange name for a major plaza, until Sam saw the massive statue, located at the main entrance that she walked through, which depicted William "Bill" Finger in bronze. The plaque described him as being the leading architect who worked for the Gotham City Revitalization Project some fifty years ago--which had been mainly backed by Thomas Wayne, Bruce's father. Bill Finger's innovative building designs and skillful urban planning were largely credited for creating the Gotham City that the world knew today.

'Mr. Finger might be surprised at how vast his city has grown,' Sam thought, as she surveyed the vast plaza before her. The area beyond the dedication to Finger served as a park/resting place for the series of stores contained within the bottom floors of the skyscrapers that surrounded it. Giant statues of monolithic figures at play surrounded a lavish fountain, which played host to dozens upon dozens of people, who enjoyed a respite at the fountain--which was the place where Maggie Power had texted Alex that she and her family would be waiting for her.

As Sam gazed at the assorted people who were gathered before her, she could not see anybody who even remotely resembled the description of the Power family, and her suspicion began to rise.

'Wait,' Sam thought, when she saw a family standing by the fountain. They were a man and woman, with four children. 'If that's them, then they're taking a big chance standing out in the open like that.'

Sam kept her eye on them as she crossed to the other side of the plaza. Her cell phone rang, and when she answered, it tuned out to be Alex. "Have you found them, yet?"

"Yes, I think so," Sam replied. "But, I don't know, something's…off."

"What do you mean?"

Sam took a deep breath, about to explain her suspicions--until she saw the man who looked like James Power suddenly raise his hand to his ear, as if listening intently to something.

"He's wearing a wire; the father's wearing a wire," Sam said, as a feeling of dread swelled up within her. "Alex, this looks like a trap…."

"We're getting out of the city right away," Alex said urgently over the phone. "Just get back to the car, Sam, right now!"

"Keep the cell phone line open," Logan yelled. "Keep updating us on your status."

"Will do," Sam said.

She started back across the plaza, watching the faux Power family by the fountain all along. They were anxiously scanning the crowds, no doubt looking for any sign of Alex having arrived. Even the two older kids appeared to be in on the act--also calmly watching the crowds with a practiced eye--which made an incredulous Sam wonder just what damned elementary school Cadmus recruited its child agents from.

When she saw movement by the store across from her, Sam stopped and glanced over in that direction. What she saw sent shivers down her spine.

There was a squad of men and women in black suits standing by the store, all of whom were watching Sam very intensely. The faux Power family were the bait, and that crew were the hunters.

'And I'm the fox,' Sam thought bleakly. "Damn it!"

"Sam, what is it?" Alex frantically asked. "What's wrong?!"

"Alex, get out of here," she replied, as she began to walk fast. "This place is crawling with Cadmus agents. They've just spotted me, and are probably trying to hack into this phone call. Just get away while you can!"

Sam ended the call and then discreetly dumped the cell into a trash bin--it was a cheap, pre-paid phone, anyway; one that couldn't be traced back to Alex, Olivia, or even Bruce Wayne.

But, apparently, Sam wasn't discreet enough--for once she dropped the phone into the trash, the agents across from her all began running apart from each other in different directions. One of them even made hand gestures, and Sam saw several park workers abruptly drop what they were doing and start running towards her.

And they were all armed.

"Oh, Christ," Sam muttered with dread. Now she had a really good idea of what a fox must feel like during the hunt.

**B&B**

"Stay here!" Logan told Alex, as he got out of the SUV.

"Where the hell are you going?!" she cried.

"Where do you think?" he shot back. "I ain't leaving her to those Cadmus bastards!"

"I'm coming with you!"

"No, you stay put," he sternly ordered her. "You're the leader of the meta underground; you're the one that Cadmus is after, remember?! If neither of us is back here in ten minutes, then you leave without us."

He got out of the car and slammed the door behind him in a flash.

As Alex forlornly watched Logan race into battle, she let out a gasp as came to a somber realization: 'This whole event is my fault--I was too careless to check it out thoroughly enough, and now both Sam and Logan will face capture, and it's all because of me. This is my mess…and I should be the one who cleans it up.'

Alex had come to a very hard decision just then, as she somberly switched on her cell and made a call to Olivia--but she only got her voice mail.

'She's still busy searching for those poor kids,' Alex realized. Taking a deep breath, she left a brief message--one which she knew would frighten and enrage her lover, but Alex had no choice. 'Perhaps out of my stupidity, I can still achieve some good that will help everybody.'

Alex was oddly tranquil when she got out of the SUV--leaving her cell on the dashboard--and walked down to the plaza. There were a pair of Gotham City uniformed police officers who stood watching as an army of black-clad men and woman raced across the plaza towards a book store.

Alex saw several people running out of the book store in a panic, and realized that was probably where Logan and Sam were, and they would soon be surrounded by Cadmus agents.

"Excuse me," Alex told the cops, "but I'm Alexandra Cabot, a wanted felon."

"Yeah, that's nice, lady," one of the cops absently said.

Alex saw that both of them kept staring at the chaos in the plaza before them, while completely ignoring her. And so she did the only thing she could think of.

Alex slapped the cop nearest to her hard on the back of the head. He flinched in pain as both he and his partner spun around and glared at her. Alex broadly grinned as she held up her hands. She got what she wanted, which was the full attention of the two police officers.

"I'm Alex Cabot! I'm a wanted felon," she proclaimed. "I wish to turn myself in!"

Several of the Cadmus agents saw the commotion she'd caused and had come over to her with their guns drawn. Alex quickly got down on her knees and placed her hands behind her head, just as the over-excited police and Cadmus agents had commanded.

'This was it,' Alex grimly thought, as a female Cadmus agent came over and cuffed her hands behind her back, 'I'm commited. I just hope to God that I've managed to create a good diversion for Sam and Logan to get away….'

When Alex glanced up, she noted that one of the Cadmus agents was a silver-haired man who looked very familiar. Then Alex recognized him; she'd tangled with him from the last time she was out with Logan.

"Hello, Agent Judson," she said calmly.

"Hello, Ms. Cabot," Judson said with a smug air of superiority. "I must say that it's _very_ good to see you again."

**B&B**

"Son of a bitch," Sam muttered, as she ran into the bookstore. She had ducked in here for a quick escape, but saw only a long line of customers waiting at the checkout counter, who all stared at her as if she were a vile creature.

"You there," one of the clerks called to Sam from behind the counter. He looked like a manager. "We've called security. Stay right where you are, please."

Sam pulled out her FBI ID and flashed it at him, as well as at the long line of customers. "It's ok, I'm a federal agent in pursuit of a suspect. Did you see anybody run through here?"

Her bluff worked, because everyone--including the store manager--shook their heads at her. "Is there an exit in the back?" Sam asked, pushing her bluff as far as it would go. "Is there another way out of here?"

The manager pointed as he began to say, "There's another exit in the back, right by the--"

But Sam never heard the rest--because right at that moment, she was hit from behind by a violent electric shock that clamped down tightly at the base of her neck, and caused every muscle in her entire body to painfully constrict as she fell helplessly to the floor.

The excruciating pain never let up; it was a constant flow of live-wire energy that surged throughout her body, paralyzing her within its constant agony. Sam faintly saw through her haze of pain that there were a trio of black-suited men who stood gloating over her.

"Oh, yeah!" one of them said triumphantly. He held a strange looking gun in his hands. "You see that, Gary? Huh? I scored a perfect bullseye with this thing! Right on the back of her neck, and the little bitch went right down! Yeah, baby! Am I good, or what? Huh?"

Yet his friend Gary never had a chance to reply.

Because, right at that moment, Logan showed up.

**B&B**

Logan had decided it would be best to cut through the book store, because it would provide cover for him until he reached the plaza. Yet he was halfway through the store when a familiar voice stopped him.

It was Sam, she was calling out a question in an authoritative manner--until she began to scream violently.

"Sweet Jesus," Logan muttered, as he instantly ran through the isles in the direction of Sam's screaming. His titanium claws instinctively slid out in-between his knuckles as he prepared himself for battle.

Although Sam had stopped screaming, Logan could still judge where he had to go just from seeing the large number of people who ran past him in a wild panic in the isles. He simply ran in the opposite direction of where they ran from, and soon Logan found himself in the front of the store.

He saw Sam Spade, who lay twitching in agony on the floor, while a trio of Cadmus agents stood gloating right above her.

"I scored a perfect bulls eye with this thing!" one of the agents, who held a gun in his hand, bragged. "Right on the back of her neck, and the little bitch went right down! Yeah, baby! Am I good, or what? Huh?"

And, just for that remark, he became Logan's first target.

Logan came up from behind the man and rammed the steel claws of his right hand into the man's lower back, piercing his kidney. Logan then violently shoved the agent--who was now himself screaming in agony--right into his partner, knocking the both of them right into a book display that sent about several dozen Harry Potter paperbacks scattering all over the floor.

"Jesus Christ!" the third agent shouted, as he frantically tried to reach for his gun.

Logan stepped over to him and punched him in the torso. The punch caused the claws of his left hand to slice straight through the man's stomach.

"Wrong, bub," he calmly said into the man's ashen face, "the name's Wolverine."

The agent just stared up in shock with budging wide eyes, as he slid off of Logan's claws and slumped to the floor. Logan quickly cleaned his claws on the man's suit, then retracted them. When he turned to look down at Sam, all Logan could say was: "Sweet Jesus…."

Sam was still twitching and shuddering violently, as though she was having a fit of some kind. "L-Leave m-m-me," she told him through clenched teeth. "G-Go and l-leave m-me!!!"

"That ain't happening, darling," Logan said softly, as he swept her trembling body up in his arms. "If we're going down, then we're going down together…and it's not gonna be without a hell of a fight."

He carried her over to the main windows, so that he might get a quick tactical look at the opposition and their numbers--but Logan was shocked to see there was nobody out there. The entire plaza was empty.

"What the hell?" Logan muttered, as he ran towards the back of the store. Logan became more concerned for Sam when he felt her shivering; even though she was now sweating profusely. 'She's in bad shape,' he grimly realized, 'and getting worse….'

Once he hit the street, Logan ran for the SUV and got into the back seat with Sam and closed the door. He was grateful the Escalade had tinted windows, for it afforded them some much needed privacy.

"What happened, Sam," he asked. "Can you tell me?"

"S-S-shot m-me…." she tried to say, until her entire body convulsed in a spasm of pain.

"Okay, okay," Logan soothed her. "Take it easy, I'm just gonna go look."

He lifted Sam into a sitting position far enough so that he could see it. At first Logan thought it was a bullet that had gotten lodged in the skin at the back of her neck. But it actually looked like some sort of a metallic tick that had burrowed itself into her neck.

When Logan tried to remove it with the tip of one of his titanium claws, the pain became so great for Sam that she passed out in his arms. After he retracted his claws, Logan quickly took her pulse, and was relieved to see that it was steady--she was still alive. The pain from that tick-like device was so much to bear that she lost consiousness.

'And that's probably for the best,' he thought.

Suddenly remembering Alex up in the front seat, Logan said, "Looks like you're gonna be driving us back ho--"

Logan stopped when he glanced up and saw there was nobody seated in either of the front seats. "Alex?!"

He carefully got up and lay the knocked out Sam across the back seat. Then he climbed up into the driver's seat and looked around for a note, or some sign of just where the hell Alex had went to. He found Alex's cell phone on the dashboard.

When he saw a commotion in the street ahead of him, Logan had received the shock of his life.

There stood an army of Cadmus agents in the street, all standing guard around a defeated Alex, who stood with her head bowed and hands cuffed behind her back.

"Oh, dear God," Logan said dismally. That was why the agents in the book store had no backup. That was why the plaza was empty of any Cadmus presence whatsoever. Alex's capture had diverted these bastards' attention away from Sam and him.

Logan watched as a silver-haired male agent came over and placed his hand under Alex's chin. He roughly raised Alex's face upwards, so that he and two other agents could pose with the captured woman for a picture that a laughing female Cadmus agent took of them with her cell phone.

When he saw this scene, at how they treated Alex as nothing more than a captured animal on parade, an enraged Logan wanted nothing more than to literally tear into them. But Sam was still twitching and crying out in pain, despite the fact that she was unconscious. It appeared as if she were still being prodded with electric jolts from the damn device she had been shot with; it just wouldn't let up.

Logan had no choice, Sam needed his help more than Alex did right now.

"Damn it," Logan muttered, as he watched an armored car pull up just then. The silver-haired agent harshly shoved the cuffed Alex into the back and victoriously slammed the door.

Logan stared hard at the face of the silver-haired agent, and he marked it well. He burned the man's features to his memory.

Because he swore that they would meet again.

As he turned on the SUV and pulled it out of its parking lot, Logan gave the smug, silver-haired agent one last murderous glance.

"We shall meet again, my friend," he swore under his breath. "Because we're all coming after Alex--and when we do, you and I shall dance, Mr. Silver-Hair."

Sam let out a cry of pain from the back seat, which made Logan step on the accelerator harder. The SUV gained speed as Logan drove it onto the freeway that led out of the city.

"Hang on, Sam," he called back to her. He ignored the fact that Sam was unconscious and could not reply. "You just hang on, darling!"

**B&B**

Supergirl floated high above the skyscrapers of Gotham City and gazed down at the buildings in the Iron View section with her X-Ray vision. Several of the buildings were working factories, with no room for a busload of thirty abducted children. And several more were just empty spaces, devoid of any life whatsoever.

"Supergirl," Bruce's voice came in over the Bluetooth-style radio that she wore in her left ear. It was a device that he'd given her. "Anything, yet?"

"No, Batman, nothing," she replied dismally. Although Bruce wasn't clad in his uniform back at the Batcave, she still referred to him by his Dark Knight title. "I've scanned the entire Iron View section three times, now. And if the kids are here, I can't see them."

"Are any of the buildings lead-lined?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that. They're just not here."

"Wherever the video was taken, it obviously wasn't from the Iron View section," Batman said thoughtfully.

Supergirl glanced up when she heard a jet engine in the distance--but it wasn't like any regular jet engine that she'd heard a thousand times while in flight. This sounded like a large metal bucket being scraped across a concrete surface.

In short, it was a fighter.

'There he is,' Supergirl realized, when she saw the grey-colored fighter bank towards her. Then her eyes grew wide when it opened fire with a missle.

"Son of a--" she muttered, as she dived out of the way of the missle. Supergirl's eyes grew even wider when she saw the missle make a tight turn in midair and then roar straight at her again.

"Supergirl, what's wrong?" Batman asked.

"Fighter just shot a missle at me!" she shouted. "Looks like it's a heat seeker! It's tracked onto my body heat!"

Batman said something further, but Supergirl was too busy to listen as she careened through the air in an effort get the missle away from the crowded city streets below. It worked. When she glanced down, Supergirl saw nothing but empty countryside.

'The perfect battleground,' Supergirl thought, as she executed an acrobatic flip that spun her a complete 180 degrees. Once she was facing the opposite direction, Supergirl caught sight of the oncoming missile, as well as the fighter that launched it.

"Supergirl, get back home," Batman ordered.

"I will, but I don't want this guy following me," she responded.

The missile caught up to her, and Supergirl allowed herself to be hit, for it was the only safe way she could think of to get rid of the live ordance. Although she was invulnerable and was not harmed, the blast still knocked her back a few hundred feet, and Supergirl was annoyed to discover that the cool Bluetooth-type device that Bruce gave her did not survive.

She glowered at the oncoming fighter, known as an A-10 Warthog, which now opened up on her with its massive machine gun mounted in the nose.

"My turn," Supergirl snarled, as she dove straight towards the fighter.

The bullets bouncing harmlessly off of her skin, Supergirl streaked right at the fighter, until she grabbed the bubble-like canopy and ripped it right off. The pilot, whose entire head was covered by his helmet and sun visor, cringed back in fear as Supergirl grabbed his seat--with him still in it--and yanked it from the cockpit. While she did this, Supergirl kicked down on the fighter, sending it spinning straight into the ground of an empty field, where it crashed with a deafening explosion.

Supergirl landed about a hundred feet away from the wreckage, where she placed the pilot, who still timidly sat in his cockpit seat, on the ground. Supergirl then glared at the man, trying to think of what to say to him, but she was so angry that no words would come. And so Supergirl did the only thing she could think of doing.

She flipped him the bird.

Then she furiously flew off in the direction of Wayne Manor.

**B&B**

'When it rains, it pours,' Olivia thought wearily.

She briskly entered Wayne Manor and exchanged a pained expression with Alfred, who met her at the door.

"How long have they been gone?" she asked.

"About an hour ago," he replied.

"Have you heard back from them since?"

He shook his head. "Not since they left."

"As if it's not bad enough that we're dealing with Cadmus, and Talia, but now Alex has to run off to play Mother Theresa again."

"Alex is doing very good work, Olivia," Alfred reminded her.

Olivia quickly nodded in agreement. "I know she is, Alfred. And I'm very proud of her. But I can't help but worry about Alex."

"As I worry about you all," Alfred said to her. "Yet I trust you will make the right choices whenever you are out on the mean streets of Gotham--so you must do with Alex, Liv. Besides, Logan and Sam are with her."

"And we've still got a busload of kids to find," Olivia muttered. "Any luck on that front?"

"Still searching," Alfred said, as he made a quick stop in the kitchen. "Kara managed to do several complete sweeps of the Iron View section before she was attacked, but she--"

"Whoa, wait a minute," Olivia, startled, had interjected. "Attacked by who?"

"By McHenry Air Force Base, who sent one of their fighters in pursuit of Kara while she was flying over the city," Alfred said with disgust. "The pilot even shot a missile at her while they were both over Gotham. But Kara led them over the country side and--ahem--took care of him."

Olivia shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe McHenry would just openly attack Kara like that, right over the city! This is getting crazy, Alfred!"

"This situation with Cadmus _is_ getting out of hand," Alfred said in agreement. He held up a plate of freshly baked cookies from the counter. "This is why I stopped off here, to bring some cookies to Kara and the others, as a morale booster. Care for a cookie, Liv?"

Olivia smiled. "No, thanks, Alfred, I already ate. Besides, they'll probably need these more than I do right now."

Olivia went down to the Batcave with the butler, and there she found Bruce intently working at the Batcomputer--along with Dick, Barbra, Kitty and Kara, who all stood watching him work.

Alfred stepped up to Kara, who was still clad in her Supergirl outfit, and held up the plate of cookies. "Care for a cookie,…or two?"

"Oooo, chocolate chip!" Kara said excitedly, as she eagerly took one. "Thanks, Alfred. This more than makes up for being shot at by a Warthog."

Olivia frowned in puzzlement as she gave Kara a double take. "A what?!"

"The name of the fighter, Sis," Bruce told her. "A-10 Warthog, primarily a ground-attack fighter, based in McHenry. That's what they sent out after her."

"But now it's planted deep in a field about fifty miles north of here," Kara confidently added. "With the pilot hitchhiking his way back to base."

For a brief moment, Olivia envied this young woman and her extraordinary powers. It would have been amazing enough for Olivia just to be able to fly, but to be capable of defending herself from the might of an Air Force fighter as Kara did was truly an astonishing feat.

Although she knew it was a silly question, personal concern for Kara made Olivia ask it anyway: "Are you all right?"

Kara nodded, looking touched at Olivia's concern. "I'm fine, Liv. Thanks for asking."

"But she smells like gunpowder!" Kitty cheerfully said through a mouth filled with half-chewed cookies.

Olivia smiled down at the girl--then noted that Kitty, along with Kara, Barbra and Dick, made up what looked like a super heroic youth camp. It was ironic--as well as somewhat poetic--that a group of children were helping Bruce to find another group of kidnapped kids. Knowing Bruce, he was too busy searching for the kidnapped children's whereabouts to even notice.

'I'll tell him later, during a quiet moment, after this is over,' Olivia thought, as she went over to Bruce's side. 'Assuming a quiet moment ever does come….'

"We've pretty much ruled out the Iron View section as being the location of the kidnapped kids," Bruce told her. "Kara managed a sweep before she was attacked, and couldn't find any sign of them there."

"But the video clearly shows them being held in some kind of a factory," Dick said, annoyed. "So if they're not in the Iron View section, then where the hell are they?"

Olivia saw that Bruce had a frame from the video on the main screen of the Batcomputer. The kidnapped children were all frozen in various poses of fear and agony. But for once, Olivia ignored them. Instead she gazed at the surroundings that they were in.

The walls were metal, and rusting very badly--whatever this place was, it hadn't been used in ages. Then she saw the floor, which was also metal, yet it appeared to have been blackened. Olivia saw that some of the black stuff was clinging to the shoes and pants of some of the kidnapped children. Some even had it smudged on their faces.

"Bruce, you see this black stuff?" Olivia asked. "It's all over everything, even the kids' clothes."

"Yes," Bruce said, as he leaned forward in his chair.

When Bruce expanded the image to get a closer view of the black substance, Olivia also leaned forward and stared hard at the picture. "That's not regular dirt, is it?" she asked.

"No, Sis, it's coal," Bruce said with a triumphant tone in his voice. "That's what we were doing wrong. We were looking for an abandoned factory, or a warehouse, when we should have been looking for a place with a massive furnace."

"A furnace?!" Barbra said with an alarmed expression. "Is she going to burn them alive?!"

"It might just be where she's keeping them stashed," Olivia assured her.

"If she's ruthless enough to abduct a school bus filled with kids just to get my attention, then I wouldn't put it past Talia to do that very thing," Bruce said grimly. "Which is why we really need to find out what abandoned place within Gotham City limits has a furnace that size, and fast."

"The old Gotham City power plant was coal-powered, Master Bruce," Alfred spoke up. He nodded at the picture. "And that area the children are in looks like an old coal storage facility--the very same size of the ones used by the power plant."

"Wow, how'd you know that, Alfred?" Dick asked, impressed.

"Thomas Wayne, in his push to improve the quality of life here in Gotham City, persuaded the city fathers to switch to hydroelectric power many years ago," Alfred explained. "And once they did, the old coal powered plant went offline, and promptly fell into oblivion. I toured that plant with Master Thomas shortly before it was shut down, and recall seeing coal storage rooms which looked just like this."

"Gotham City coal powered plant," Bruce said, as he typed out those very same words into the Batcomputer's search engine. The computer presented an image of the Wellborn Power Plant, which was still in use way back when the photo was taken, over fifty years ago, along with its location.

"Is that it?" Barbra asked. "Is that where she's keeping the kids?"

"Let's find out," Bruce said, as he got up from the Batcomputer.

Olivia was diverted by a blinking light on her cell phone, which indicated that she had received a call from Alex. Cursing herself for having shut off the cell's ringer earlier, Olivia quickly accessed her voice mail--and received the shock of her life.

"Hello, my love," Alex said. Her voice trembled slightly, as if she were very scared. "I can't talk; don't have much time. Things have been screwed up beyond belief, and it's my fault they're that way. The only way for me to make things right is to surrender myself to Cadmus. That way, I hope I can allow Sam and Logan to escape. But I also hope that my capture might serve an even higher purpose. They might take me to the Cadmus meta prison, Liv--and if I'm bugged, I can be tracked, and it's location will finally be revealed to all. But please work fast, honey, because I don't know how long I'll be in Gotham City before Cadmus moves me. I love you, my darling Olivia, and I hope to be in your arms again very soon."

Olivia was so stunned that she stumbled about in a numb shock--until a pair of strong hands grabbed her firmly. It turned out to be Bruce, who stared at her with concern. "What happened, Liv?"

"Alex has been captured by Cadmus," she told him in a weak voice. Not able to speak any further, Olivia just handed him her phone.

Bruce replayed the voice message from Alex, this time with the sound up all the way, so all in the Batcave could hear it. When it was done, the group merely stood there in gloomy silence.

When Olivia heard crying, she turned and saw Dick consoled Barbra as she wept against his shoulder.

"We'll get her back," Bruce vowed quietly. "We'll get her back right--"

He was interrupted when they saw Logan appear on the ledge that overlooked the Batcave. He held an unconscious Sam in his arms. "A little help here!" he yelled at them.

Kara immediately jumped into the air and flew straight at them. She took Sam from Logan and brough her down to the main Batcave level.

"Bring her into here," Bruce commanded, gesturing towards a bed, along with full hospital gear, that was all set up within a glass enclosure.

Kara placed the trembling and moaning Sam onto the bed, then examined her with her X-Ray vision. "It's this thing." Kara pointed at something that Olivia saw was embedded within the back of Sam's neck. "It's emitting a constant shock wave--I've never seen anything like it!"

Sam let out a roar of pain when Kara tried to dig out the metallic object.

"Don't!" Logan shouted, when he emerged within the Batcave's infirmary. "I tried digging it out, but it just makes it worse for her! The little bastard seems to just shock her even worse."

"It's also dug itself futher into her skin," Alfred grimly reported, as he examined the back of Sam's neck.

"What happened?" Olivia asked Logan.

"She was shot with this by some Cadmus agents. It looks like an advanced taser of some sort." Logan then glanced downwards for a moment, then he added, "Listen, about Alex…."

"I know. She left me a voice mail," Olivia told him.

"Hey," Logan said sheepishly, "look, uh, I'm real sorry--"

"I recall you making a statement last night to the effect that, if you have to blame somebody, then blame Cadmus," Olivia replied. "That was good advice, Logan. You should heed it. Because this was in no way your fault."

He nodded, but still didn't look satisfied. "We'll get her back, Olivia. You have my oath on that. Cadmus _is_ going down--and Alex, and all the others, _will_ be freed."

"I know." Olivia turned her attention back to the stricken Sam, who lay on her side as Alfred, Kara and Bruce all closely examined the back of her neck.

Alfred turned to Kara and said, "Perhaps your heat-vision could burn it?"

"No," Bruce said with a shake of his head. "It's burrowed itself too deep, now. Kara would wind up hurting Sam badly in the process."

"Well, what can we do?" Barbra asked, as she and Dick stood helplessly over by the door. "She's in constant agony!"

"Can I help?" a little voice meekly spoke up.

All eyes turned on Kitty, who walked over to the bed that Sam lay on. "I can grab it, and pull it out," she told Bruce.

"Yeah," Logan quickly agreed. "She can do just that!"

"You sure you're up to this?" Bruce asked Kitty.

"Uh-huh," the little girl said, with an eager nod. "I can feel the difference between the device and her skin. I can get it out easily."

"Once your fingers solidify around it, the device might start to shock _you_," Logan warned her. "So, when you get a hold of it, just pull it out and let it go instantly."

When it was agreed by all to let Kitty retrieve the device, Olivia went around to the opposite side of the bed and grabbed Sam's hands for moral support. A pale Sam glanced up at her and cringed. "I-I'm so s-sorry a-about A-Alex…."

"Oh, don't be silly," Olivia told her, as she gently wiped the sweat from Sam's face with a towel. "As I just told Logan, it wasn't your fault, sweetie. The bastards at Cadmus are the ones to blame for all of this. Now brace yourself," Olivia added, as Kitty got ready to insert her hand into Sam's neck, "this may feel a bit weird…."

Sam let out a wide-eyed gasp just as Kitty stuck her fingers into the back of her neck. And as much as she tried be to strong for Sam, Olivia couldn't help but wince when she saw the little girl's fingers briefly disappear into Sam's skin.

Just as soon as she drove her fingers into Sam's neck, Kitty pulled her hand back out, holding the device.

"Got it!" Kitty said--then she let out a yelp of pain.

"Drop it!" Logan frantically ordered her. "Just drop it!"

Kitty simply allowed the device to fall through her hand and hit the floor. Logan made to step on it--until Bruce stopped him. "Let's get it in a container," he said. "I want to find out who makes this thing."

Olivia glanced down at Sam, and was happy to see a wave of intense relief had now washed over her.

"Oh, God…it stopped," Sam whispered with pure joy, "that feels _so _wonderful…."

"You just rest here, sweetie," Olivia said, as she affectionately rubbed the side of Sam's face. She was pleased to see that an exhausted Sam was already drifting off to sleep.

Olivia walked over to the others, who were backing away as the little metallic device started to thrash wildly around on the floor. Dick bent down and trapped it within an empty Petri dish.

"Got the little bugger," he said. Barbra came in and slid a sheet of paper under the dish, allowing Dick to pick it up and place a proper cover over the metallic device.

"Looks like it was still trying to burrow," Barbra said, "but the floor was too tough for it to go anywhere."

Olivia took the moment to glance around at the extraordinary group of people who stood around her. One of whom, a little girl who could pass through solid objects, just spared her friend Sam from further agony.

'These amazing, beautiful people are here, among us, making life so much better for all with just their presence--and yet Cadmus is hunting them like animals,' she thought bitterly. 'Cadmus…God _damn_ them….'

And that was when Olivia had come to a realization.

"All right," Bruce said. "We've got to figure out a new game plan. We need to save the children, as well as Alex, now."

"No," Olivia said firmly.

Bruce looked shocked by this. "Sis, what--?"

"You heard the message from Alex," she told him. "She purposely surrendered herself--not just for Sam and Logan, but in the hopes that we might be able to strike a mortal blow to Cadmus. And, by God, I'm not going to let her sacrifice go to waste."

"What are you proposing?" Bruce asked.

"That Batman go and save those kids, that's your main priority right now," Olivia replied. "Just give me some kind of a tracer. I'll meet up with Alex and give it to her."

Bruce mused about it for a moment. Then he nodded. "All right. If that's what you want."

Olivia shook her head. "It's not about what I want, it's what Alex wants, Bruce. She's the one who's taking the big risk, here. Despite how much _I_ want to go and rescue her right now, I realize that fact. Alex has given us a golden opportunity to strike at the very heart of Cadmus. And that's what will happen when they take her to the meta prison, and we'll know the location instantly, thanks to Alex being armed with a tracer."

"You're assuming that they _will _take her there," Dick said. "They may just take her to a regular federal lockup."

"No, I don't think so, Dick," Bruce said thoughtfully. "Alex is a major prize for Cadmus; she's the leader of the meta underground here in Gotham City. And The Question recently informed me that it appears that the prison also serves as their main headquarters, and so it stands to reason that somebody as important as Alex would be taken there. But time's wasting. Come with me, Sis."

Olivia followed him over to the scientific work table, where Bruce presented her with something that looked like a vitamin pill. "She needs to swallow this," Bruce told her. "Once it interacts with the acids in her stomach, it will start emitting a powerful homing beacon. The Batcomputer will pick it up and start automatically tracking Alex, no matter where she goes in the country."

"How long will this last?"

"Until it harmlessly passes through her system, which may be twelve hours, or less," Bruce replied. "But you've got a bigger problem, Sis. How are you going to give it to her in the presence of her Cadmus captors?"

"That'll be my problem," Olivia said, as she pulled out her cell. "You just go get those kids back home safe. And please, Bruce, be sure to bitch-slap that Talia whore for me!"

"It will be my pleasure. Who're you calling?"

"Rachel. She should be able to help me find Alex--assuming Cadmus still has her in the city."

"Alfred," Bruce said to his faithful butler. "I'll need you down here, keeping watch over the Batcomputer. The moment it starts signaling, give me a call."

Alfred nodded. "Very good, sir."

"Where do you need me?" Logan asked.

"Here, guarding the home front," Bruce replied. "I'm not expecting an attack here, Logan, but--"

"But the time they usually attack is just when you least expect it. No worries--we got your back, right Kitty?" Logan asked, as he gently nudged the smiling girl. "But, I've gotta tell you, Bruce: once we finally take down Cadmus, I'm gonna be right by your side the entire time."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Bruce said with a smile. He glanced at Dick and Barbra. "Let's get suited up. I'll brief you two on the plan of attack in the Batwing. Kara, you're coming with us. You can confirm that Talia and the children are there much faster with your X-Ray vision."

"I look forward to it," Kara said with a broad grin. "We're _finally _taking the fight to somebody! _Yes_!"

"Damn it!" Olivia cursed, when she got Rachel's voice mail. "To hell with this, I'll try her personal cell number…."

As Olivia sped-dialed Rachel's personal cell, she glanced up and saw that Lana and Chloe had just emerged from the elevator and now both stood staring at the frenzied commotion within the Batcave.

"We brought the laptop over to the Lone Gunmen," Lana said, looking on at all their hectic activity with puzzlement. "They're working on it, now. Uh, what's going on?"

"Yeah, um…did we just miss something, here?" Chloe asked nervously.

"Just the beginning of World War III," Logan jokingly said. "Come pull up a chair and grab some popcorn, kiddies, 'cause it's gonna be a helluva show…."

**To Be Continued....**


	8. Chapter 8

I'd like to thank Michael Weyer, RebelByrdie and theoldman for their kind words. Much appreciated, as always.

**Batman & Benson 5**

**Chapter Eight**

Olivia hurried as fast as she could through the courtyard of the Gotham City Federal Building. Evening had settled in over the city, and at this time of night, the place was largely empty, save for the security guards who stared at her with apprehension as they made their rounds. These days, anybody seen running frantically through the halls of the Federal building would be instant cause for alarm.

Olivia paused long enough to flash her badge at them. "I'm looking for the central concourse?"

One of the guards pointed out the way. "Through those doors, and then make a left--you can't miss it."

"Thanks," Olivia said, as she charged full speed ahead once more.

After Olivia got in touch with Rachel in the Batcave, and had explained the situation to her, she had called Olivia back with the news that Alex had been taken to the Federal Building, presumably for booking. Yet as Olivia drove towards the city from Wayne Manor, she received another, more agitated phone call from Rachel, who said that the Feds were in the process of moving Alex out right now.

"They're not following the standard protocol," Rachel had said. "I can't even get a destination from them regarding where they're taking Alex."

"Of course not--the rules don't apply to them, because they're not regular Feds, they're Cadmus," Olivia replied with dread. Up to this point, Olivia had been hoping that the Feds would simply lock up Alex in a regular jail--but this disconcerting sign could only mean that they were indeed taking her to the secretive maximum meta prison. "I'm almost there, Rachel. Is there any way you can stall them until I arrive?"

"Just watch me," Rachel replied. "Meet me in the central concourse. They have to take Alex out through there, and that's where I'll head them off."

Olivia turned the corner and found the concourse, which was basically a massive hall that served as a meeting area for people going to and from the Federal building.

She sought out Alex, and found her--Alex's blond hair was easy to spot. Her hands cuffed behind her, Alex stood surrounded by a group of agents who were currently in a shouting match with Rachel.

'Bless you, Rachel,' a grateful Olivia thought. True to her word, Rachel had managed to stop Alex from being moved in time for Olivia to catch up with her. But a major problem still remained. Olivia had to slip a digestible tracking device to her lover, so that her trip to the meta prison would be traced, and its location finally revealed. She wondered how she could do this with all of those Cadmus agents standing around. Olivia thought about just offering Alex the tracer to swallow, and pretending it was a vitamin, or a prescription drug, like a tranquilizer--but the agents might still stop her in either case.

Then the idea hit Olivia, and she almost smiled at how simple it was. Taking the tracking device out of her pocket, Olivia slipped it into her mouth. Then she walked briskly over to the group.

"You may not be able to tell me who you really are," Rachel angrily told one of the agents, a silver-haired man. "But _I _am the district attorney of Gotham City. And I can make life a living hell for you every second you are in this city!"

"This woman is a known terrorist who had aided and abetted other terrorists," the silver-haired man replied, with a gesture at the cuffed Alex. "And you know full well, Ms. Dawes, that under the Patriot Act we are--"

He paused when Olivia walked right past him and straight up to Alex--who gave Olivia a surprised, yet very pleased, look. Olivia then tightly embraced Alex and kissed her on the mouth passionately. While she did this, Olivia slipped the tracking device into Alex's mouth with her tongue.

"Oh, my God," one of the agents, a female, muttered. "That's disgusting!"

Even though the job was done--the tracer was now safely within Alex--Olivia kept kissing her lover. She never wanted to let go of Alex; Olivia wanted nothing more than to bust her free of these fascists and take her home and keep her safe forever. Alex had always been Olivia's delicate little flower; someone whom she loved to protect and nurture, and despite Alex's good intentions in this situation, Olivia still hated to see her being dragged away like this.

And so she kept kissing Alex, until Olivia felt several hands grab her arms and roughly haul her away. Once they parted, Alex smiled at her and said, "Thanks. I really needed that. See you soon?"

"Count on it," Olivia assured her. "Stay strong, babe."

"I will," Alex replied, as the agents hustled her down the hall.

Olivia felt the sting of tears building up within her eyes, but she fought it off and tried to maintain a confident look for Alex for as long as her lover could still see her. Once the agents escorted Alex around a corner, Olivia's shoulders slumped under the heavy weight of despair that threatened to crush her completely.

"You should be ashamed of yourself!" a woman's voice called out.

Olivia turned and saw an elderly woman with a cane who had come up to her and Rachel. She glared at Olivia as if she were some sort of repulsive insect. "It's sexual deviants like you who are ruining everything for everybody these days," the old crone said to Olivia. "I'm glad the government is getting rid of these freaks! Then they should come around here and arrest people like you!"

Olivia was so devastated and drained by her brief meeting with Alex that she couldn't even think of a come back for this cranky old bitch.

"You know, that's strange," Rachel said to the old woman. "If the government is really getting rid of freaks, then how did they miss _you_?"

The woman abruptly reeled back with a gasp, as if having just been slapped. "Oh…why…how rude!"

"You really want to see rudeness, lady, go look in a mirror," Rachel snapped, as she gently took Olivia's arm. "C'mon, Liv. Let's get out of here."

Olivia allowed herself to be led by Rachel over to her car, which was a limousine that she used in her official capacity as the District Attorney. She asked her driver to make sure that Olivia's squad car would be picked up and sent back to police headquarters--then Rachel shut the shaded glass partition between the front and back seats, which gave her and Olivia some privacy.

"The kiss--that was when you gave her the tracer?" Rachel asked.

"Yes," Olivia replied with a heavy, shuddering sigh.

Rachel reached out and grabbed her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"No," Olivia said flatly. And now that they were ensconced within the car, away from prying eyes, the tears flowed freely now. "It should have been me being brought to the prison--not her, Rachel. Not my little baby. Oh, God…how I wish I could have changed places with her!"

"Come here," Rachel said, as she pulled Olivia into a tight hug.

"It should have been me," Olivia said, as she openly wept against Rachel's shoulder. "It should have been me…."

**B&B**

'The waiting is always the worst part,' Lana Lang thought, as she aimlessly wandered around the Batcave.

Lana smiled when she saw Logan, who stood watch over a slumbering Samantha Spade in the glass enclosed infirmary. She was fascinated at the concerned look on his face. Lana was pretty certain that the big tough guy known as Wolverine had developed a soft spot for the fugitive FBI agent. Leaving them to their privacy, she turned and stared in awe once again at the majesty that was the Batcave. The gleaming Batmobile and the bulky Tumbler each sat on their own platforms just below the one Lana stood on, which housed the science labs and she marveled at the scientific equipment that had been set up all around her.

'This is just what one determined man, with a lot of money, can do,' Lana realized. When she first started her foundation to investigate Lex Luthor, Lana wondered if she had done the right thing, and if--in the long run--it would even make a difference.

But as she gazed at this sanctuary dedicated to crime-fighting that Bruce Wayne had built for himself, right under his very home, Lana could not help but feel inspired and recharged. She realized that anyone could make a difference if they put their best effort to it, yet someone with the money that she had could accomplish far more. And so Lana swore that she would continue to investigate and harass Luthor for as long as she could in any manner that she could.

'Because fighting Luthor is a battle that's worth fighting,' Lana thought with renewed vigor.

She saw Chloe was still busy working at one of the scientific workstations, examining the sadistic taser device that Kitty had removed from the back of Sam's neck, which was still safely sealed in the Petri dish. Chloe sat barefoot at the station, having made herself comfortable by removing her shoes, which were on the floor beside the stool she was on.

Lana's eyes grew wide when she saw a small hand emerge straight through the metal panel of the workbench, grab Chloe's shoes, and pull them effortlessly back through the solid panel.

When she went over to the opposite side of the workstation, Lana caught a sheepish Kitty in the act of stealing Chloe's shoes. Kitty made a 'quiet' gesture by placing a finger over her mouth. Lana, grinning, conspiratorially motioned for her to go ahead and hide the shoes.

While a giggling Kitty ran off in a search for a hiding place for Chloe's shoes, Lana checked on Chloe and saw that her best friend was still intently examining the taser within the Petri dish.

"Hold still, you little bugger!" Chloe grumbled at the spider-like device, which still tried to seek escape from its glass confines.

'With her nose in a new science project, will Chloe even notice her shoes are gone?' Lana wondered with a smile.

Lana's smile faded when she walked over to the edge of the main platform and gazed down at the project that Alfred had busied himself with since the others had left.

"Oh, wow," Lana said aloud, as she beheld what kept Alfred busy.

At first Lana thought it was another version of Batman's outfit, but she quickly saw that it had no cowl, nor did it have a cape. Standing upright on in the center of the platform, it looked like a juiced up version of a black SWAT outfit that was made for a woman, and there was an elegance to its design that all SWAT outfits lacked. There were small holsters on the sides which contained what looked like taser guns. Plus, it also had what appeared to be a smaller version of Batman's utility belt, complete with little compartments.

As she descended the steps, Lana asked, "Excuse me, Alfred. But is that a new outfit for Batgirl?"

Alfred smiled at her, then shook his head. "It's for Olivia."

Lana's eyes went wide. "Olivia?! I didn't know she was a superhero."

"All of those who fight evil are superheroes, Ms. Lana," he gently told her. "Including you."

Lana felt herself blush with embarrassment. "Um, thanks. I didn't know Olivia wore an outfit like that."

"When Master Bruce and Rachel were abducted by Two-Face, Olivia went to their rescue, with Robin's help," Alfred explained. "And this was the outfit that she wore. The protective vest was originally meant for Master Bruce's Batsuit, but was rejected because it was too small for him. Yet it was the perfect size for Olivia. She hasn't worn it since, and in the intervening time, I've taken the liberty of making some adjustments to the outfit, just in case Olivia should need it again."

He tapped the chest of the outfit. "In addition to stopping a bullet, the outfit will now also protect her from electric shock. I've equipped it with the same communications system that the Batsuit employs, and she's armed with taser weapons, rope, a baton and other necessities, should she need them."

"Did Olivia ask you to upgrade the suit for her?"

"No, Ms. Lana. In fact, Olivia doesn't even know I've done this upgrade to this suit. She probably doesn't even know that I've kept it."

"Then what are you getting it ready for?"

Alfred smiled again. "Because it's my job to anticipate the needs of the heroes whom I serve, Ms. Lana. And once we discover where Alex is, Olivia will certainly want to join Master Bruce and the others in rescuing her from Cadmus. And that is when she will need this suit."

Lana was both touched and impressed at how Alfred so thoroughly looked after the needs of his charges like this. She was almost tempted to make him an offer to come work for her, but knew full well he would never leave Wayne Manor.

'Great butlers are like great guys,' she thought dismally, 'the good ones are always taken.'

Lana was startled by a loud pinging sound that erupted nearby, echoing off of the vast walls of the Batcave.

"It's begun," Alfred said solemnly.

Lana followed him over to the Batcomputer, whose main screen was alive with the flashing graphic of the word "tracking" blinking on and off over a computerized map of Gotham City. She watched as a little yellow blip steadily moved along one of the streets of the city.

Chloe, Kitty and Logan all joined them. "What is it?" Logan asked.

"It's Alex," Alfred replied with a tinge of sadness in his voice. "Apparently, Olivia was successful in giving her the tracking device."

"Oh, my God," Lana whispered. As she watched the blip move on the screen, she realized that, in real time, Alex was being taken to the Cadmus prison by her captors. Lana hoped that the poor woman could bear up under what must be a great deal of emotional and physical stress.

Alfred glanced at his watch, and said, "It would appear that all of our forces are now in play."

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked.

Alfred nodded at his watch. "Master Bruce and the others should have arrived at the Wellborn power plant by now."

**B&B**

"Here we go," Batman said, as the Batwing approached the deserted power plant. "Everybody get ready. Supergirl, do you see anything?"

"Nothing, yet," came the reply over his comm unit. Supergirl flew alongside the Batwing; Batman wanted her flying on her own so she could better spot the kidnapped children, as well as also serve as a quick response to trouble, if need be.

Batman gazed down at the Wellborn plant, among whose rusted and dilapidated pipes and gear works his father once walked, and placed the Batwing in hover position in-between a pair of smokestacks.

"Wait," Supergirl called. "I see her! I see Talia!"

"Where is she?" Batman asked.

"The main building, on the very top floor in the northeast corner. She's alone."

"I highly doubt that," Batman muttered, as he took the Batwing out of hover mode and brought it over to the old administrative building.

"If Supergirl can't see anybody else, then maybe Talia really is alone," Robin said.

"Talia's father was a master of hiding in plain sight, Robin," Batman replied. "And if she's anything like her old man, then Talia may well have an army hidden down there."

"Are you saying Talia can hide things even from Supergirl's X-ray vision?" Batgirl asked, amazed.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Batman said grimly. "Supergirl, all due respect, but just because you have X-ray vision doesn't mean you can't be fooled."

"I understand," she replied over the comm. "I'll do a sweep of the place for the kids."

"If you find them, let us know, first," he told her. "Don't move in on your own, Supergirl. Talia's not to underestimated. Do you understand?"

"Got it, Batman."

"Take over, Robin," Batman said, as he got up from the pilot's seat.

"Check," Robin said with a nod.

Batman knelt down in the center of the fuselage with Batgirl and opened a hatchway in the floor. With the Batwing right over the administrative building, they had a bird's eye view of the northeast corner of the structure.

Batgirl pointed at the roof. "There's a nice, big skylight, Batman. The perfect place for you to drop in one them."

"Which is just what Talia's no doubt expecting. I'm going in, but not through there." Batman then gazed meaningfully at her and then at Robin. "Do you two have your gas masks at the ready?"

When both Robin and Batgirl nodded, the Batman said, "Good. Always keep them handy. Talia's used gas to kidnap the children, and there's no reason why she won't use it again. I'll see you both when I'll see you."

And with that, he jumped through the hatchway.

Once he was in open air, Batman flicked his wrists, and his cape solidified into a pair of giant bat wings that gently and silently glided him to the roof of the building. When his wings reverted back into a cape, Batman clicked his comm unit twice to let Robin and Batgirl know that he was down safely.

There was a door on the roof which led to the level below. But that was just a little too obvious for him as well. Batman raced across the open roof until he reached the edge. With a glance over the side, he confirmed the presence of a row of floor-to-ceiling windows. He anchored a grapple line to the brickwork on the edge of the building. Then, holding on tightly to the line, Batman dove over the side.

The line pulled taunt and swung him right into the windows, and Batman made sure to twist his body so that he went through the glass feet first. He smashed through the windows, rolled briefly along on the floor, and sprung up in a combat stance.

Talia stood up abruptly from the throne-like chair she was seated in. She was clad in an ankle-length robe that had an elaborate, multi-colored pattern on the front. When Talia glanced angrily up at the skylight, Batman knew she had been expecting him to come in through there. He was only too happy to disappoint her.

"You got what you wanted," he growled at her. "I'm here. Now release the children."

A slow smile erupted across Talia's face. "Yes, Dark Knight; you are here. But whether or not I've got what I wanted remains to be seen."

She snapped her fingers, and--just as Batman expected--an army of dark-clad warriors emerged from the shadows that surrounded them. One of them charged at Batman, who leapt up and kicked him in the face--a savage blow that sent the man straight to the floor, unconscious.

Batman glanced up and saw five more black-clad assassins were now coming right for him.

And he did the only thing he could do.

Batman charged towards them.

**B&B**

"I found them!" Supergirl joyfully cried. "I found the kids!"

"Where?" Robin asked.

"In one of the storage areas around back," she replied. "Can you see where I am? It's right below me."

"There it is," Batgirl said, as she pointed it out for him. "See where she is?"

Robin saw a floating Supergirl pointing down at a smaller building--one in a row of several like it--just behind the administrative building. Remembering his flight instructions, he disengaged the Batwing from hover mode and brought it over to her. While he did this, Batgirl tried to raise Batman.

"No response," Batgirl reported with a worried expression. "Do you think something might have happened to him?"

Yet before Robin could reply, Supergirl said over the comm: "Those kids look like they're in bad shape. I'm going in now!"

"Supergirl, wait!" Robin called. "Batman said we should--"

Robin stopped when he saw Supergirl dive down towards the skylight of the building below her. He watched with dread as, no sooner did she smash her way through the window then the broken glass was swiftly covered with a steel shutter that slid down in place.

"Oh, gawd, that's not good," Batgirl said with dread.

"Supergirl, come in Supergirl," Robin said, over and over--but there was no response. "Nothing, damn it."

Robin did a double take when he saw Batgirl had opened the floor hatchway once more. "Wait, where the hell are _you_ going?!"

"To find out what happened to Supergirl," Batgirl simply replied, just before she slid down a rope through the hatchway.

"Damn it," Robin muttered, as he watched Batgirl run alongside the building below him. "This grand plan has certainly been shot to hell…."

**B&B**

Batman kicked one man in the stomach just as he swung around and punched another in the face. They were coming at him in pairs, now--yet he easily fought them off. This bunch were good, but they were no match for the legion of assassins that Ra's had trained. But then, Ra's was no longer around to train new students.

'Which is all the bad news for them, isn't it?' Batman thought, as he beat the final pair of would-be assailants to a pulp by cracking their heads together.

"Now, Ubu!" Talia shouted.

Batman spun around to see a large, burly guy with a bald head and dressed in eastern clothing coming at him with a large curved sword. The bald man let out a howl of rage as he swung the sword at Batman.

Batman expertly ducked out of the way by ducking just under the swipe of the blade and rolling to the center of the room. He stood up and braced himself for another attack from the big bald guy--but none came.

Ubu merely stood there, smiling broadly at him.

Then Batman realized that he now stood directly under the skylight, which was exactly where Talia had wanted him in the first place.

"Damn it!" Batman ran as fast as he could--but it was already too late.

He stumbled and fell as the very floor broke apart under his feet. When a complete section of the floor fell away in front of him, Batman saw that he was headed straight into a massive pit that was filled with milky white gas.

As he helplessly fell straight into the pit of gas, Batman did two things.

He reached for his grapple gun.

And he held his breath.

**B&B**

When they stopped the car and pulled Alex out of the back seat, she took one look at the run down old warehouse they had driven into and thought, 'Is this it? Is this the Cadmus Meta Prison?!'

They were on the rural outskirts of Gotham City, with Wayne Manor about a hundred miles away from here. Alex recognized this area from a wonderfully lazy drive that she and Olivia had taken one fine summer's day. They'd wound up under a tree in a meadow, where they made out as if there was no tomorrow.

Alex's pleasant reverie was shattered when the female Cadmus agent grabbed her arm and pulled her towards an enclosed office space near the windows. There was a truck parked next to the car, with a squad of uniformed guards standing around, all staring at Alex with interest.

'Maybe the base is underground,' Alex thought.

As she entered the office space, Alex saw that it was just a bare, windowless room that had a wooden bench in the corner. There was a door at the other end which led to a small bathroom. There was a duffel bag on the bench.

Alex let out a sigh of relief when the agent removed her handcuffs. "Remove everything you're wearing and put on the clothes in that bag," she told Alex. "And if you need to go to the bathroom, this is the time to do it. You've still got a long ride ahead of you."

"So this isn't the Cadmus prison?" Alex asked her.

The agent shook her head. "Far from it. Trust me, you'll know you're there once you see it."

She remained by the door while Alex used the bathroom. Then Alex came out and looked through the duffel bag on the bench. She took out a pair of under shorts, a tank top and a pair of cotton pants--all of which were a drab gray in color.

"Put your clothing in the bag, please," the agent told her. "And make it snappy."

Alex felt humiliated at having to change in front of the woman--but she supposed it could have been a lot worse: she could have been getting changed in front of a group of men.

After quickly stripping off her clothing, she put on the prison garb, which fit her perfectly. As she stood barefoot before the bench, packing her own clothing into the duffel bag, Alex wondered how did they know her exact size--or was the perfect fit of her prison clothing just dumb luck?

Alex absently reached for a pair of prison shoes to put on--then stopped when she realized there were none.

When the agent saw Alex's confused look, she said, "You won't be needing shoes, ma'am--not where you're going."

So far, Alex had put on a brave, stoic face throughout all of this. Yet when the woman said that, it sent a chill up Alex's spine. "What do you mean?"

"Just that none of the inmates there wear shoes."

The fact that the Cadmus prison did not provide shoes for its inmates was disturbing on many levels. No matter how bad the regular prisons were, at least they provided the very basic amenities to their prisoners, such as clothing. That Cadmus couldn't be bothered to give Alex shoes sent the clear message that she wasn't worth the effort--that she was being treated as if she were a subhuman. It was the sort of prison treatment that Alex had been helping to fight against in various overseas countries as a member of Amnesty International; now she was shocked to see this same violation of human rights happening right here in the US. She fearfully wondered just how much worse could it get.

She glared at the women agent and said, "How can you be a part of something like this?"

The agent glanced uneasily at the floor. "Ma'am, we need to get--"

"Just answer my question, please, and I'll do whatever you want," Alex said. "How can you be a part of an organization that's doing such terrible things?"

"I'm fighting to defend my country," the woman said evenly. She held up the handcuffs again. "Now please turn around and put your hands behind your back."

Even as she did as she was ordered, even as the woman slapped the cuffs on her wrists once again, Alex would not give up. "How are you defending your country, exactly?"

"By detaining dangerous metas," the agent replied, as she finished locking the cuffs behind Alex's back.

Alex turned and stared at her. "But I'm not a meta, Agent. I have no super powers at all. And yet _I'm_ being detained without a trial, or without even being officially charged with doing anything. Don't you see what's happening, here?"

Despite the fact the woman looked very uncomfortable, she grabbed Alex's arm. "Come on, they're waiting for you."

Yet Alex would not let it go. "Cadmus is turning this into a fascist country by locking up whoever they deem to be a threat. And you're helping them. You don't believe me? Look at me. Just look at me, please. I'm a woman with no superpowers who's being locked up at Cadmus. And it will get worse. Because even if I'm just the first non-meta to be locked up, you can bet that I won't be the last."

The door opened, and Agent Judson strode into the room, shaking his head slowly. "Ms. Cabot claims to have no superpowers, Agent Clemmons, but in fact she does. She's a silver-tongued devil who warps the truth and makes you doubt yourself. But I have something that will stop her."

Alex's eyes flared with terror when he held up a muzzle.

"Judson you motherf--" was all Alex had managed to say, before he secured the muzzle over her mouth.

Judson then grabbed Alex by the arm and roughly escorted her out to the vehicles. As if walking barefoot on the concrete floor was disconcerting enough, Alex had to do a quick tap dance around several puddles of water--all while Judson kept tugging at her, not caring one bit for her comfort.

'He's really enjoying this,' Alex realized with anger. 'The bastard….'

When he brought her over to the truck, it suddenly occurred to Alex why they had come here. In addition to being a pit stop, it gave them a chance to switch rides. Now Alex would make the remainder of the trip to the Cadmus prison inside a windowless, armored truck, with no way of knowing where she was once she arrived there.

'I just hope this tracking device that Liv gave me is working,' Alex thought.

Once inside the back of the armored truck, Judson roughly shoved her onto a bench, where he grabbed her legs and trussed her ankles together with a plastic tie.

The uniformed guards who manned the truck stared at this with uncertainty. "That's all right, Agent Judson," one of them said. "No need to do that. She doesn't look like she's going to be too much of a problem for us."

"You can never be too careful with these metas, solider," Judson told him. "And no matter what you guys do, do _not_ remove her gag! She'll talk you into doing anything!"

After Judson left the truck, one of the guards secured the rear door while another man sat down across from the bound and gagged Alex and glared at her cautiously. It was ridiculous; they were treating her as if she were a live bomb that could explode at any moment.

The guard who sat across from Alex shook his head at her in disgust and said, "I don't even know why we're keeping you freaks alive. If it were up to me, we'd be dumping your bodies in a ditch someplace."

Unable to respond because of her gag, Alex just shook her head in disgust right back at him.

Before, she had been stunned at how Cadmus was dragging her country into fascism, and wondered how they could reverse this momentum before it was too late. Now, she was beginning to wonder if it was already too late.

**B&B**

As the Joker stood up behind Lenny, who drove the van they were all riding in, the Clown Prince of Crime smiled at the sight of Arkham Asylum in the distance. The mental institution with the gothic-inspired design had been his home for the longest time--until he flew away like a little birdie leaving the nest.

'What a long, strange trip it's been,' the Joker mused. 'And to think that it all started in a fisherman's net.'

Shortly after his last battle with the Batman, when the Joker awoke, he found himself in the bay, several miles downriver of Gotham City, being hauled aboard a small boat by an old fisherman who stared at the Joker with a great deal of annoyance--as if he had better things to do than to pull a guy dressed like a clown out of the water.

Despite his age, the old fisherman still had some muscle in his arms, for he easily hefted the Joker onto the deck of his tiny boat and glared down at him with a mixture of anger and dismay.

"What's wrong?" the Joker had cheerfully asked. "Never seen a clownfish before?"

The fisherman just shook his head in disapproval as he helped the Joker loose from his net. "What are you doing in the water, you damn fool?"

"If I told you, you'd never believe me," the Joker replied. He sat up and tested his muscles and otherwise checked out his body. Nope, nothing was broken. He stood up and took a deep breath of the bay air. "Ah, great day for a swim, huh?"

The old fisherman just glowered at him. "You think everything's a joke?"

"That's why they call me the Joker," he replied. He stared expectantly at the fisherman, waiting for the typical reaction of horror that was always expected at the mere mention of his name--yet none came. The old man just glared at him in annoyance. "You don't watch much news, do you, old timer?"

"Just damn propaganda," the old fisherman muttered with a wave of his hand. "And you're a damn fool if you think life's a big joke, young man!"

The Joker picked up a harpoon and examined it. "Well, I always say that if you can't laugh at life, then life isn't worth living."

And with that, the Joker rammed the harpoon straight into the old man's chest. His dispproving grimace was instantly replaced with one of shock as he slowly sank to the deck.

"Oh, my, now _that_ finally changed your expression, didn't it?" the Joker said with a chuckle to the old man's corpse.

After the Joker got his address from the dead man's wallet, he drove the boat back to the old man's home and ransacked it for money and whatever other valuables he could use. But before he left, the Joker simply had to do one thing.

He went out to the private dock, boarded the boat and arranged the corpse so that it sat with a big grin on its face. The Joker had pierced the dead man's lips with fish hooks attached to lines that were tied to the steering wheel behind him. He was particularly proud of this little final touch; the corpse did what the man himself could not do in life: it had a happy little smile.

The days since then had been busy ones. As he worked his way back to Gotham City, pulling robberies and even a bank job here and there, the Joker also built himself a new group of henchmen. Each man was carefully picked--not so much for his abilities, but for how docile, how easily manipulated he was.

And as the Joker glanced back at the motley collection of men who sat in the rear of the van--some of whom looked scared out of their wits; along with Eddie, who wouldn't stop giggling--he realized he hadn't exactly assembled the wild bunch here.

'But who cares,' the Joker thought. 'For the job I need done tonight, they'll suffice quite nicely.'

However, judging from their overall skittish nature, it was clear that the Joker would have to say a few words of encouragement to bolster their spirits.

"Lenny, stop the van," he ordered the driver.

"OH, CHRIST," Roland abruptly cried out in terror. "WE'RE THERE ALREADY?!"

The Joker turned to his men and held out his hands, and they all calmed down--all except for Eddie, who kept giggling at the Joker as if he were the funniest thing Eddie had ever seen.

'This is what I get for making him stop taking his medications,' the Joker thought, irritated.

The Joker momentarily thought about killing Eddie right then and there. But then realized that somebody with this much enthusiasm might come in handy down the road. And so he silenced Eddie by whacking him upside the head.

Eddie winced in pain as he clamped both of his hands over his mouth.

"I'd just thought we'd stop so I could give you boys some words of encouragement," the Joker said.

"IS THE BATMAN HERE?!" Roland screamed hysterically. "YOU SAID HE WOULDN'T BE HERE, JOKER!"

Now the Joker wondered if he should just kill the lot of them and commit the job by himself. 'But then, if I killed them now, then what would I use for cannon fodder later?'

"The Batman isn't here," the Joker assured Roland, along with the rest of his anxious band of brothers. "Like I told you, he's busy saving a busload of school kids right now, God bless him. No, I wanted to make sure you understood the reason why we're doing what we're doing tonight. And that's--"

The Joker had a bold, daring speech all plotted out that he hoped would inspire his boys to give it their all, yet when he saw the dazed, vacant stares of the men whom he spoke to, he quickly decided to keep it simple.

"We're going to throw a really big party tonight in Gotham City," the Joker said. He gestured at Arkham Asylum through the windshield. "And we're gonna invite a few hundred of our best friends to the dance. Who's with me?!"

The men all screamed and cheered wildly, which was just the response the Joker was looking for. He turned and nodded at Lenny, who promptly started driving. The Joker reached into his pocket and removed the access card that he'd stolen from Inspector Curnow. It was almost time, now…almost time for the biggest party Gotham City had ever seen, which will be celebrated right on its streets by the largest collection of maniacs the world had ever seen.

"Poor Batman," the Joker murmured, as his ruby red lips parted into an insanely large grin. "If you think it's tough rescuing some wayward school kids right now, just wait until you see what _I_ have in store for you later."

**To Be Continued....**


	9. Chapter 9

_My thanks to D.J. Scales for his comments for the last chapter._

**Batman & Benson**

**Chapter Nine**

Frohike grinned when the Cadmus laptop--which he, Langly and Byers had wrestled with for the past ten hours straight--finally came to life and displayed its operating menu. Once they had figured out a safe way to turn it on without the computer exploding, it had then taken them three hours just to find the proper access codes to get the thing to work without wiping its hard drive.

"We did it!" Langly said in triumph.

"YEAH!" Frohike shouted, as he pumped his fists into the air. He glared at the laptop and added, "Who's your daddy? Huh, you little bitch? Who _is_ your daddy?!"

As he typed in the command to display the Cadmus prison, Byers couldn't help but also smile broadly at their achievement. Then his smile faded when he saw a detailed blueprint of the prison had been put up on the screen. While this was a nice find, he had been hoping to get the exact location of the prison itself.

"Damn, that's a big place," Langly commented. "It looks like it can hold hundreds, if not thousands, of people."

Frohike pointed at the blueprints. "And it's all underground, just like I figured it would be. But where is it?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out now," Byers muttered, as he typed in the command that took him back to the main menu. Yet as hard as he looked, Byers could not get the location of the prison. "Damn it, the prison's location is nowhere to be found!"

"Get back to the blueprint," Langly suggested. "Maybe it's in there, somewhere."

When Byers brought up the blueprints of the Cadmus prison once more, the three of them looked over each level. Byers felt a chill run up his back when he saw one level was innocently designated as the 'scientific research section' and wondered if that was were they experimented on their captives.

"Oh, good Christ," Frohike said, his eyes growing wide behind his glasses.

"What?" Byers asked, as he stared at him in alarm.

Frohike pointed at something that was located at the very bottom of the blueprints, on the last level of the prison. "Somebody please tell me that that's not what I think it is…."

"No, that can't be right," Byers said, as he enlarged that area of the blueprints. But what he saw, what was confirmed for him in the description, instantly made him sick to his stomach. "Oh, dear God, this is insane…."

"We may not have found the location of this place," Langly said with quiet dread, "but we still found something really gnarly here that Batman will need to know about."

**B&B**

Talia grinned broadly as she watched the Batman fall into the pit, just as she had planned. The flooring had collapsed underneath him when she hit the switch on her throne, and the Dark Knight plummeted into the swirling milky white cloud of gas. It would knock him out instantly.

Yet Talia was stunned when a grappling hook unexpectedly shot up from the pit, and she quickly hit a second switch that closed over the pit with a metallic shield. No sooner did the grappling line seize on something in the ceiling above then it was snapped in two when the two sides of the shield slammed shut on it, sealing Batman within the pit of choking gas.

Despite the fact that the Batman was now finally captured, Ubu still stood at the ready with his sword.

'Good man,' Talia thought with approval, as she strode over to her faithful servant. 'With such good, loyal men under my command, I shall rule this world in no time. The Batman would be a fool to refuse me. And if he does, then I shall just have to change his mind. What fun that would be!'

"Any other contact in the area?" she asked Ubu.

The large man shook his bald head. "No other contacts either on the radar, nor any of the other surveillance devices, my mistress."

"Then what passes for a police force in Gotham City won't be coming to the Batman's rescue. Have the lookout men maintain a constant surveillance, just in case," she ordered. Then, with a glance at the sealed off pit, she added, "Wait fifteen minutes. Then retrieve Batman and bring him to my private quarters. I think I shall go change into something more comfortable, now."

Ubu bowed. "As you wish, my mistress."

She turned to walk away--until Ubu called to her. "Forgive me, my mistress, but a further question, if I may: what shall we do with the children?"

"Children?" Talia asked with a frown. Then she remembered the bunch of squealing animals whom they used to lure the Dark Knight here. "Ah, yes, _them_. They are of no further use to us, Ubu. Kill them. Kill them all."

"Yes, mistress," Ubu replied with a bow.

Talia walked to her private quarters with a bounce in her step, tingling with anticipation at her long-awaited meeting with the captured Batman. No matter how things went between them, it still promised to be a most enjoyable evening for her.

'I almost hope he does fight me,' she thought with a hungry smile. 'Taming the Batman shall be great fun.'

**B&B**

Batgirl hugged the wall as she cautiously entered the building that Supergirl had stormed into--and had not been heard from since. It was a dirty, dingy looking place, with little critters that skittered out of her way as she walked past. Batgirl didn't get a good look at what had just been crawling on the ground before here, and--right now--she didn't care. The first rule that Batman had taught her was to maintain her focus while on a mission. Nothing else mattered but accomplishing the objective.

When she heard a man's voice speaking, Batgirl followed it down the hallway. She came to a corner and peeked around the corner of the wall. She saw a dark-clad man standing before a jail cell that was filled with the kidnapped schoolchildren. The bars were newly installed metallic fencing that were soldered into place in-between the column supports.

"Look at her," the man taunted the poor children, who were all distraught and crying. "Look at your so-called savior!"

Batgirl glanced over in the direction that he pointed and saw an unconscious Supergirl lying across from them in a glass enclosed room that was filled with gas. Knowing that the Batman might come in through the skylight to try and rescue the children, Talia no doubt had that gas-filled room trap set up for him, only to catch Supergirl instead.

'Kara, you silly goose,' Batgirl thought, with a shake of her head. 'You may be invulnerable to all but Kryptonite, but you still have to breathe!'

"Who will save you now?" the man continued to sadistically taunt the crying children. "No one. No one is coming for you. No one will save you."

"WRONG!" Batgirl angrily shouted, as she ran towards him, then jumped up into a flying leap.

The man turned to face her just in time to see Batgirl dive down at him, her full body weight slamming into his stomach and bashing his head against the concrete column that he stood in front of. He was already unconscious when he hit the floor.

The children all let out a collective scream of terror when Batgirl approached their cell--which was the first time in her young career that Batgirl had actually scared anybody, and it turned out to be the wrong people.

"No wait," she soothed them. "It's ok, I'm one of the good guys."

"Look out!" one of the boys cried.

But Batgirl already felt the oncoming rush of wind come up from behind her--which was something else that the Batman had taught her to do. She ducked down just as a metal crowbar swung right where her head used to be, clashing against the fencing. Just as she did this, Batgirl jabbed out her leg, and the sole of her boot connected with her new assailant, knocking him off balance.

Batgirl then quickly rose up and kicked him in the stomach, then bashed both her fist into the back of his neck while he was still bent over in pain from the stomach kick. The man landed face down on the ground and stayed there.

When a shadow fell over her, Batgirl whirled around in a combat stance, only to find herself facing Robin.

"Took you long enough!" she blurted out. "What kept you?"

"I wanted to take the Wellborn plant tour, but couldn't find a guide," Robin said, deadpan. "Did you know this place was deserted?"

"ROBIN!" one of the captured girls excitedly squealed to her equally enthralled friends. "IT'S ROBIN!"

"Take it easy ladies and gentlemen," Robin said in his best, cool-as-a-cucumber professional manner. He applied an explosive capsule to the lock on the cell. "We'll have you out in no time."

'I scare the kids, yet they wind up being members of Robin's fan club,' a sullen Batgirl thought. 'What does a girl have to do to get any respect around here?'

Once the lock was blown, Batgirl directed the children out of the cell and towards the door while Robin went to free Supergirl from her gaseous prison.

"Take them to the Batwing," Robin called to her, as he applied the explosive capsules on the door to Supergirl's prison. "It's landed around the back."

Batgirl watched as Robin slipped on his gas mask and stepped back as the explosive capsules blew out the hinges on the door. Batgirl then started to lead the children down the hallway--when she stopped abruptly. She'd noticed a shadow at the doorway. Her eyes grew wide when a dark-clad man entered with a machine gun in his hands.

"Get back, get back," Batgirl warned the children, who were all only too happy to do what she told them.

They raced back into the holding area just as Robin carried an unconscious Supergirl out of the gaseous room. "We've got company," Batgirl told him. Noticing the gas that spilled into the room, Batgirl turned to the children and added, "Hold your breath."

She took out her gas mask and was about to start passing it around when Robin removed his own gas mask from his face and said, "It's all right. The gas has mostly dissipated, anyway. How many are there?"

"One, armed with a machine gun, coming down the hall right now."

"Let's get the kids behind the columns," Robin said. "And we'll get in place by the doorway."

Batgirl divided the children into three groups and made them huddle behind three of the concrete support columns. "No matter what you hear," she told them, "stay behind these columns. They'll protect you."

She went to join Robin--until Batgirl saw that the battle had already begun. Just as the machine gun-toting man entered the room, Robin grabbed the gun by the barrel and twisted it away from him. Then he and the man engaged in a sprawling hand to hand combat match.

When a second gunman appeared in the doorway, Batgirl dove at him and knocked him to the floor. Just as they landed in a heap on the floor, a third gunman stood in the doorway down the hall and randomly opened fire with his machine gun.

Batgirl dived down to the floor, avoiding the spray of bullets, but her opponent wasn't so lucky. He was hit multiple times by his own comrade just as he was getting up to do battle with her. He fell to the floor, dead. Batgirl lay helplessly sprawled out on the ground, unable to move as long as the third gunman kept shooting bullets right above her.

Just as Batgirl wondered if Robin was finished fighting with his goon, she glanced over and saw a pair of red boots casually stride past her. It was Supergirl. With several of the bullets bouncing off of her skin, the Last Daughter of Krypton purposefully moved towards the shooter, grabbed his gun, and twisted the steel barrel, stopping him from firing anymore.

The man had tried to break and run, but Supergirl grabbed him and knocked him out with a mere slap across the face.

"Nice of you to finally join the party," Batgirl said, as Supergirl walked back to her. "How do you feel?"

"Stupid," Supergirl dismally replied. She still looked a little woozy from the gas. "I should have followed orders."

"Hey, at least we found the kids, and they're all right," Robin said, as he joined the girls. "I haven't been able to reach Batman. Let's get everybody aboard the Batwing and then see if we can find him."

"Hope Batman's doing ok," Batgirl replied, as she ran to retrieve the schoolchildren.

"Maybe he's busy with somebody," Supergirl suggested.

"If Batman's busy with somebody," Robin said with a grin, "then God help them!"

**B&B**

Ubu slid his gas mask into place, then nodded at Smith, the black-clad man who stood by the door that led to the pit. Smith, who also wore a gas mask like Ubu, unlocked the door and pulled it open. They were greeted by a wall of milky white gas. Ubu smiled under his mask. It would be all too easy to collect this infidel and bring him to his Mistress.

Ubu gestured for Smith to join him as he entered the pit with a second warrior, Reynolds, who wore a gas mask as well. The gas was so thick in here that it might take the three of them to find the Batman's prone body on the floor--unless they stumbled into it; a thought that Ubu found quite humorous. Kicking Batman's carcass as if it were so much trash.

'How the high and mighty Batman has fallen,' he thought smugly.

He heard the sound of someone choking to his left, and saw a shadowy figure bent over somebody who lay on the ground. Apparently Smith had found the helpless Batman.

"Do not harm him," Ubu commanded, his voice muffled through the mask. "The Mistress does not want him hurt."

Yet when Smith ignored him, and continued to assault the Batman, Ubu ordered Reynolds to stop him. This was most disconcerting for a warrior to disobey his orders. He would have to whip some sense into Smith later, when they were--

Ubu was stunned when Reynolds was attacked by Smith, and effortlessly knocked down. It was hard to make out the fight in the murkiness of the gas, but the Reynolds was indeed sprawled out on the floor.

"You, there!" Ubu roared, as he stormed over to Smith. "What do you think you're--?"

The thick white gas parted slightly, and Ubu finally got a good look at Smith, who was still nothing more than a shadowy figure. Yet Ubu could still make out some features, such as his lean, monstrous figure with swooping wings and bat ears on the top of his head.

And in that moment of terror, Ubu realized that the shadowy figure that stood before him wasn't Smith.

'Batman?!' Ubu thought with astonishment.

A chill ran up Ubu's spine when he realized that Batman had never been made unconscious by the gas. The Dark Knight had been simply lurking here, in the milky white haze, waiting for them to open the door, so he could strike at them one by one.

Letting out his best battle cry, Ubu pulled out a knife from its sheath on his belt and attacked the shadowy bat figure, who quickly ducked out of the way--

--but not before he ripped the gas mask from Ubu's face.

Ubu let out a choking gasp as he inhaled a lung-full of the gas. He tried coughing and spitting--but it was too late. He felt faint and dizzy; the gas had already claimed him.

'I am sorry, my mistress, I…have…failed…you….' Ubu thought helplessly, as he fell to the floor and faded into blackness.

**B&B**

As he strode from the pit, Batman removed the re-breather filter unit from his mouth and placed it back in its compartment on his utility belt. He had locked the door to the pit after he'd left, which insured that Ubu and his little friends would remain knocked out for a while.

Now it was time to find Talia.

Batman heard a click in his comm unit, and then Robin's frantic voice: "Batman, come in, Batman. Batman?"

"I'm here, Robin. Update?"

"We've got the kids. They're all safe," Robin reported. "What's your status?"

"I'm going after Talia," Batman grimly replied.

Then he overheard Batgirl say, "Wouldn't want to be _that_ broad right now…."

Batman searched the entire floor, but there was nobody here. 'She must still be upstairs,' he realized.

Quickly ascending a flight of steps, Batman soon heard Talia, whose screams of anger echoed across the vast empty space. He saw her standing by her throne, her fists pumping the air with rage. The unconscious bodies of the men whom Batman had fought earlier lay all around her on the floor. Barefoot, Talia had exchanged her ankle-length robe for a more skimpy red satin night gown with a Chinese design on the left breast. She looked like a woman who had just been stood up on a date.

"UBU!" she shouted. "Where are you?! Damn it, Ubu, what's taking you so long?! Where _is_ everybody?!"

"Your pet Ubu, along with your private army, are presently indisposed of," Batman said, as he strode up to her.

Startled, Talia took a few frightened steps back from him. Then she stood her ground, trying to look tough, despite the scant, sexy attire that she wore. From the manner of her dress, or lack thereof, Talia had obviously been expecting to have some fun just now--and once again, Batman was pleased to have disappointed her.

"The children are safe. It's over, Talia," Batman said firmly. "Just come along quietly."

"It doesn't have to be over, Batman," she said, with a hint of a smile. "The fact that you defeated my plans, defeated my men, just makes my prize all the more sweeter, my love."

That gave Batman pause. "What prize?"

"You," she replied. Her smile now broadened into a grin. "I had wanted to see if you were truly worthy; if you were really my equal, and you've proven that in so many ways. What better mate can I find than you? What better king could I find to aid me in ruling the world?"

Batman grabbed her by the hand and pulled it behind her back. "Next time you go looking for a date, you might want to try Craigslist."

As he cuffed Talia's wrists behind her back, Supergirl flew in through the smashed in window that Batman had previously came in by. She landed in front of him and anxiously said, "You all right?"

"Fine," Batman muttered. He helped the cuffed Talia to sit down on the throne. She might as well, since it would be the last time she'd be sitting there. "I caught Shirley Temple, here. It's over."

"You don't understand, Batman, we were meant to be with each other," Talia implored. "My father ignored me; he denied my very existence--no matter what I tried to do to appease him. The fact that you were the one who defeated him meant that you were in the same league as my father; in the same league as me. We could rule the world together, Batman, as Empress and Emperor--as lovers--just as Cleopatra and Marc Anthony did. Our names will live through the centuries as that of gods."

Supergirl just gave Talia a horrified expression of disgust. "Oh…eeeeuuuuwww!"

'All of the pain and agony those poor kids went through, and she doesn't even see it,' Batman thought, as he gazed at the frantic and most obviously insane Talia. He almost pitied her…almost, but not quite. 'Those kids were just objects to be used to get to me. So I could pass her damn psychotic test and we could both run off and live happily ever after. Well, instead of her demented fantasy coming true, it looks like Arkham Asylum will be getting a new tenant tonight.'

Ignoring Talia's pleading look, Batman turned to Supergirl. "How are the kids?"

"They're all right," Supergirl replied. "But we have a problem. There are about thirty of them--too many for the Batwing to transport out of here."

"Then we'll just have to call in the Calvary," Batman said with a nod.

**B&B**

"What do you mean?" Lt. Colonel James Rhodes--aka Rhodey--said, looking incredulous. "He's as human as they come, Tony. He's just a guy in a bat costume."

"Yeah?" Tony Stark replied. "Well, he's got a pretty impressive record for just a guy in a bat costume."

"Nobody knows just who or what the Batman really is," Pepper Potts said from the sofa. "Very few people outside of Gotham City have even seen him."

Rhodey just stood and shook his head in disbelief at the woman. They were in the main living room at Stark's Malibu mansion, where they discussed the recent request from General Hardcastle for Iron Man to go to Gotham City and hunt down and capture the Batman. Actually, it was more like they were _arguing_ over the proposal. Pepper, who never liked Hardcastle--nor his campaign to imprison metas--was dead set against the idea of Tony going to Gotham City to battle the Dark Knight.

"Come on," Rhodey said to Pepper, "you seriously don't think he's some kind of a supernatural monster, do you?"

"No, I don't," she shot back. "But what makes you think Batman deserves to be hunted down?"

"The guy only comes out at night, he beats people into a senseless pulp in the deepest, darkest back alleys," Rhodey said. "What kind of a hero operates like that?"

"You make him sound like a goddamn vampire, Rhodey," Stark anxiously said, as he fixed himself a drink at the bar.

"Crime in Gotham City has dropped sharply in the years since the Batman has appeared," Pepper responded. "Batman only fight criminals."

"Batman _is_ a criminal," Rhodey said. "He's wanted by the police."

"So is Spider-Man, but you're not going after _him_, are you? Or do you only fight somebody because some general someplace just gives you an order and you go marching merrily along, is that it?"

"That's how it usually works in the military," Rhodey countered.

Pepper stared plaintively at Stark and said, "But _you're_ not in the military, Tony--and neither is Iron Man. Look, you know how I feel about this. I've spoken my peace."

She then left in a huff. Stark uneasily watched her go. The fact of the matter was, he had already begun to see Pepper's side of the situation. There were a lot of things he thought were wrong with the Cadmus operation--which had many unanswered questions. And whenever Stark had tried to get answers, he was either politely diverted, or firmly reminded that Cadmus was technically black ops, and its day-to-day operations were kept top secret.

And there were also the dark rumors that Stark had been hearing, unsubstantiated rumors that Cadmus didn't really care too much about who they arrested and locked up in their super secretive prison: such as entire families, including the children. And Stark had heard that Cadmus wasn't even above hunting down and capturing children by themselves.

"Tony, man, don't tell me _you're_ afraid of the Batman?" Rhodey asked.

"I'm not. I'm more afraid of who I'm working with right here."

"Hardcastle? He's a good man."

Stark eyed him carefully. "You know that for a fact, Rhodey? Who is he? Where's he from?"

"He rose up through Army Special Forces."

"I thought those guys never got past the rank of Colonel."

"I heard Hardcastle went corporate by taking an assignment at the Pentagon," Rhodey replied. "That was where he made general. He's a very ambitious man."

"Yeah," Stark nodded thoughtfully. "That's what they also said about Hitler."

"This isn't the time to lose faith, Tony. Remember what you told me, when all this first started, about how important it was for us to keep the meta population under control? You likened it to the weapons that Stark Industries used to build and sell to the highest bidder. You went out as Iron Man and tracked down every Stark weapons system and took them out of dangerous hands--and in doing so, you made the world a safer place. That's basically what Cadmus is doing right now with the metas."

"But we're not dealing with rogue weapons systems in the hands of bad guys, Rhodey," Tony said. "These are human beings, American citizens, who're disappearing from their homes--and there's a big question as to whether most of them even pose as a threat to national security. But that's not stopping Cadmus."

Before Rhodey could reply, Pepper stormed back into the room, walked past the men, and switched on the TV. After exchanging a puzzled look with Rhodey, Stark turned to Pepper and said, "Hey, what's up? Did Dancing With The Stars just cut another team, or what?"

"Just watch this," Pepper somberly said, as she gestured at the TV. "Both of you."

"A stunning and joyous outcome in the kidnapped schoolchildren case in Gotham City tonight," the news anchor said. "All the abducted children are now safe, and their abductors are in custody of the Gotham City Police. Jane Oslieu has more. Jane?"

The picture shifted to a young female reporter who stood at what looked like an abandoned factory of some sort. "That's right, Steve. When the mysterious female abductor called out the Batman in her online ransom video, she might not have known just what she was asking for, because the Dark Knight answered her call. From the reports we're getting here, the Batman rescued the children and apprehended the female leader of the gang, who's now been identified by Gotham City police as Talia al Ghul. She and her accomplices are now all in police custody."

Stark watched as the picture switched to video of the children being reunited with their parents as they got off of a police bus. A woman and her husband, who were identified as Irene and Joe Saddler, walked past with their son Bobby.

"Mrs. Saddler," a reporter called, "what do you think of your son being rescued by a wanted felon like the Batman?"

"I don't care what they say he did," Irene Saddler shouted back, as she tightly hugged her son. "The Batman saved my little boy, and for that, I will always be grateful to him!"

"The Batman is a big hero in our book," Irene's husband added, just before they walked away from the cameras.

That made up Stark's mind right then and there. "I'm not going to Gotham City."

"Why?" Rhodey asked. "If you think this publicity will--"

But Stark just shook his head. "It's not about the publicity, it's about doing the right thing. And Potts is right; she's been right about this all along. There's something seriously twisted about Hardcastle and Cadmus."

Pepper gazed at him with a mixture of happiness and relief. "So what are you going to do now?"

"Now, I'm having another drink," Stark said. "But I'd like for you to set up a press conference for me, Pepper."

"A press conference?" Rhodey said with a frown. "Why?"

Stark just smiled at him. "I think it's only fair for Iron Man to officially announce his break with the Cadmus Project to the public."

**B&B**

Nobody was more pleased than Olivia when the children were finally released back into their parents' custody, once they had been all medically checked out. She even smiled at the joyful reunions, pleased to see the nightmare was finally over for these poor kids. And she was more than happy to help Rachel in the arraignment against the psycho-bitch Talia and her private army of goons. But all throughout this, Alex was always on Olivia's mind. While she watched the parents and their children share a jubilant reunions, Olivia could not help but feel a twinge of sadness at the fact that Alex was presently a captive in some dark dungeon somewhere.

Yet she was the commander of the Gotham City SVU, and since this was their biggest case of the year, Olivia was obligated to see it through. Besides, Alex was in good hands--Alfred was tracking her via the homing device, and once they got a fix on where Alex was, which would hopefully be the Cadmus meta prison, then Olivia will help lead the charge to rescue her and whoever else languished there.

While everybody was busy breaking down the alert apparatus in the squad room, John Jones called to Olivia. He stood off to the side with his partner Kate, along with Linda, Mike and Andrea. Olivia went over to them.

"We heard about what happened to Alex," John said quietly. "Is it true that she was arrested because she was helping metas to hide here in Gotham City?"

"Yes," Olivia said softly. "She was."

"If there's anything we can do to help," Linda started to say.

"Yes," John said. "Anything at all. Just say the word."

Olivia glanced over and saw Rachel stood waiting for her. It was time. "Actually, there's something you guys can do for me right now. I have to leave now. Could you oversee the rest of this stuff for me, please?"

"Consider it done, boss," Mike said.

"We got it covered," Andrea added.

"You go and take care of Alex," Linda told her.

"Yeah, and don't hesitate to call for anything else you might need," Kate chimed in. "No matter what it is."

"Thank you all so much," Olivia told them, with sincere gratitude. "I'll keep you posted."

As Olivia and Rachel left the office, Rachel whispered, "Alfred called and said that the device is working perfectly."

"Oh, thank God," Olivia said with a sigh. "Do we know what direction she's headed?"

"Alfred said Alex stopped just on the outskirts of town for a brief period, but then she started moving again. She's headed west."

"Maybe they switched cars?" Olivia wondered, as they rode down the elevator to the parking garage. 'Oh God, Alex,' she thought miserably, 'what I'd give just to be with you right now….'

They got into the limosine and were driven back to Wayne Manor in no time. Alfred met them at the door and escorted them down to the Batcave. "Master Bruce and the others have returned," he told them. "They're watching Alex's progress."

Olivia saw Bruce, Dick and Barbra were all hunched over the Batcomputer, still clad in their suits. Kara, Logan, Kitty, Chloe, Lana and even Sam were gathered around them. Sam wore a robe and sat in a chair.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Olivia asked Sam with a gentle caress of her shoulder.

Sam smiled weakly at her. "Much better, thanks." She gestured at the Batcomputer. "We think we may have found it."

"Where is she?" Olivia asked, as she strode up to them.

Bruce sat back and said, "Indiana. Right smack in the middle of farm country. I'll get the precise location once I feed in the coordinates."

"Midland Park Army Base," Barbra read off the information that came up on the screen.

"Would be nice if we got a picture of the place," Logan said. "Get a proper layout."

"Done," Bruce said, as he typed in a command.

"Whoa," Chloe said, impressed, as a satellite photo of the base appeared on screen. "Don't tell me: you've got your own satellite, too?"

"No," Dick replied. "We just borrow somebody else's from time to time."

"Standard military base layout," Logan said, as he and Bruce closely examined the bird's eye image. "Just a few buildings, some warehouses--a nice and normal layout, on the surface."

"Just what they want us to think," Bruce commented. "The Cadmus base itself is underneath the ground." He pointed at a series of large boxes that circled the base. "And I'd be willing to bet these are gun emplacements. Probably what took down Superman."

"I wouldn't want to take that bet," Logan said, "because I agree with you. What's the plan of attack?"

"We don't attack," Bruce replied. "This is the military, Logan, they'll be expecting a full-on assault. We sneak in and free as many metas as we can, building up our own army within their base."

"A commando-style raid?" Logan said with a nod. "I like it."

"But how do we even get _near_ the place?" Dick asked. "The base is in the middle of a broad, flat field, with miles of clear visibility on all sides. They'll spot the Batwing easily."

Bruce had a slight smile on his face. "I've got an idea about that, Dick."

As she stared at the base, Olivia nodded. Somewhere in that place was Alex. That was good enough for her. "So, when are we leaving?"

Bruce looked uncomfortable. "Perhaps it would be best if you--"

"--come with you?" Olivia said firmly. "That _was_ what you were about to say, right Bruce? Sorry, but I'm not sitting on the sidelines on this one. Not with Alex in there."

"That was exactly what I was going to say, Sis," Bruce said with a knowing smile. "But it would really be helpful if you had some kind of combat suit. Cadmus agents use these really nasty tasers--as Sam can attest to--and the more protection you have, the better."

Alfred cleared his throat. "Excuse me, sir. But Olivia does indeed have a combat suit."

Bruce looked shocked. "She does?"

"I do?" Olivia asked, equally stunned.

Alfred led Olivia and the others over to a sleek black outfit that stood on a pedestal in the center of one of the workshops. Alfred explained that this was a much more advanced version of the outfit that Olivia wore when she went to rescue the kidnapped Bruce and Rachel from Two-Face.

"How much more advanced?" Olivia asked.

"In addition to being bullet proof in the chest and back, it will protect you from electric shock." Alfred removed a gun-like device from the suit's utility belt. "And you shall be able to deliver some shocks of your own. This is a taser gun, but one that's able to fire three separate rounds of shock darts. You have two of them on your belt. You also have a collapsible baton, and a comm system that links up with the Batsuit, as well as with Robin and Batgirl."

Olivia stared at Alfred with both awe and love. "Thank you so much…."

"You can thank me by bringing Alex, as well as yourself, home safe," he gently replied.

Olivia got dressed in the private ready room that Bruce and the others used to change. It was complete with individual stalls. Olivia wasn't surprised that the suit fit her very comfortably, but she was taken aback by an accessory that Alfred had added.

It was a mask.

Actually, it was more like a pair of lustrous goggles, with a night vision option built into them. Olivia put them on, and viewed herself in the full-length mirror. 'If only Alex could see me now,' she thought sadly. 'I look just like a superhero. Just what she's always wanted.'

But as Olivia left the changing rooms, removing the goggles, she realized that Alex will in fact be seeing her dressed like this, and very soon. She found everyone was gathered once more around the Batcomputer, and they all had an ashen appearance to their faces.

"What is it?" Olivia asked warily. "What's wrong?"

"We just got these blueprints of the Cadmus prison from the Lone Gunmen," Bruce said, as he gestured at the screen.

"Well, that's great, right?" Olivia asked. "I mean, you can now plan your attack on that place even better."

"Yeah, but take a look at what's on the last level at the very bottom," Dick said uneasily.

Olivia saw something that looked like a giant pod. "What is that?"

"A nuclear bomb," Bruce said grimly.

Olivia stared back at the pod-like image with renewed respect and fear. Apparently, General Hardcastle had installed a doomsday device into his underground fortress--probably for this very reason: in case the base got overwhelmed by an attack.

"Still want to go with us, Sis?" Bruce asked sardonically.

Olivia gave him a firm, steady gaze. "Now more than ever."

**To Be Continued....**


	10. Chapter 10

_I would like to thank_ Zarathustra1030, RebelByrdie and D.J. Scales_ for their kind words. It's much appreciated, as always._

**Batman & Benson 5**

**Chapter Ten**

Alex didn't even know she had fallen asleep until she woke up with a start. For a spilt second she wondered why she couldn't move--until she remembered that she was presently a captive of Cadmus, and thanks to Judson--that major scuzz-bucket--they had Alex all trussed up as if she were a dangerous serial killer.

The guards who rode in the back with her were gone, and when she could no longer feel any vibrations through the floor with her bare feet, Alex realized that the truck she rode in wasn't moving.

'We've stopped,' she anxiously realized. 'But does this mean that we're--'

She flinched when the back door opened suddenly, and one of the guards entered with a knife. Alex relaxed somewhat when the guard used the knife to cut the plastic tie that bound her ankles together.

"Rise and shine," he said, as he pulled Alex to her feet and escorted her out of the truck.

Earlier, Agent Clemmons had told Alex that she would know she was at the Cadmus meta prison once she saw it--and now, Alex knew exactly what she meant. The vast, gleaming space she found herself in was both an impressive, as well as imposing, sight to behold. Alex was one of several people who were being offloaded by guards from a row of trucks that were all parked in this huge receiving area. There was a petite Latina woman who was being dragged off the truck that was parked next to Alex's.

Similarly clad in the same gray tank top and pants that Alex wore, the poor woman looked as if she were heavily drugged as the guards quickly strapped her down to a gurney. As smiling Cadmus agents stood watching, another agent leaned over the helpless woman and said, "You're not so tough _now_, are you?"

Alex's uneasiness was only intensified when a leering Agent Judson walked up to her. "Hello, Ms. Cabot," he said with a smirk, as he started walking alongside Alex and her guards. "Enjoy your ride over here?"

Various retorts formed in Alex's mind--all of them nasty, and filled with curses that would make a sailor blush--but thanks to her gag, they remained unspoken.

"What? No snappy reply?" Judson remarked. "Looks like you can't sweet talk your way out of this one, huh?"

Agent Clemmons was also there, walking alongside Judson with a pained expression on her face. Alex wondered if anything she had said had gotten through to the woman. Not that it really mattered, now.

Alex was escorted to a central processing center, which was a large, office area that was filled with paper pushers. Judson hauled Alex over to a window and stated her name to the clerk. The man looked it up on his computer, then did a double take at the screen. "She's been tagged," he informed Judson. "You need to take her directly over to administration, to interrogation room A-1."

'Interrogation room?' Alex thought worriedly, as the guards hauled her down a corridor filled with offices.

A group of office workers passed her by, all laughing at a joke, and they hardly gave a second look to the terrified bound and gagged woman who was being manhandled by the guards down the hall.

When they got to the interrogation room, Alex saw that it was nothing more than a windowless, empty room with a hardback metal chair that was bolted to the floor that faced a desk with a chair. Alex's heart started pumping faster as she was made to sit in the chair, and then the guards tied her ankles separately to the legs with plastic ties--along with her cuffed wrists, which were secured to the back of the chair. She was now helplessly bound to the chair.

The guards left the room, and an increasingly nervous Alex found herself alone with Judson and Clemmons--the latter gazed at her with open concern. Alex tried to keep up her brave face, but it was very hard, especially as she wondered just how they would interrogate her. She frantically scanned the desk, and was relieved to see it contained no torture instruments. But that really didn't mean anything.

She also wondered if the homing beacon that Olivia gave her was still working--and even if it was, how long would it take for Batman to get here? She doubted that he would get here in time to save her. But Alex realized that if Cadmus had wanted to kill her outright, they would have done so by now. But that thought didn't give her much hope, especially when it looked likely that they were about to torture her right now.

All of these nerve-wracking thoughts, along with her dire situation, had taken a toll on Alex, who began to hyperventilate. She tried to take in great sucking gasps of air through her nose, but it didn't feel like it was enough--not with her mouth gagged. Alex felt as if she were about to die of suffocation.

When she stared pleadingly at Clemmons, the woman immediately came over and began to undo the gag that covered Alex's mouth.

"What are you doing?!" Judson asked sharply. "Leave her gag on!"

"She sounds like she's suffocating, sir," Clemmons said, her voice tinged with anger.

"I said leave her gag on, Agent Clemmons!"

"But, sir--!"

"Leave the gag on!"

"We didn't bring Ms. Cabot all the way out here just so she could die on us," another male voice abruptly called out. "So go ahead, Agent Clemmons, please remove her gag."

Clemmons quickly removed the gag, and Alex gratefully took in a great, heaping lungful of air. Her panic attack immediately dropped a notch.

"Thank you, Agent," the second man said. He stood in the shadows, far behind the desk. "Now you and Agent Judson can leave us."

Clemmons just gave Alex a sorrowful look before she turned and left. Ironically, when Olivia passed Alex the homing device by kissing her, it was Clemmons who had expressed her disgust at their passionate kiss. And now it was very clear that the same woman felt a great deal of pity for Alex.

"Thank you," Alex weakly called after her. Her voice was hoarse; her mouth was bone-dry from the gag.

Judson looked as if he wanted to stay, yet thought better of it and left with Clemmons.

"You had no idea how much I wanted to meet you," the man said, as he placed what looked like a suitcase on the desk. He was still in shadow; Alex could only make out the outline of his body. "When I first heard about the underground meta railroad in Gotham City, I knew it had a leader, but when I found out that it was a woman, I was impressed. And when I recently found out it was _you_, Ms. Cabot…well, I was simply awestruck. I'm big enough to admit that you've done an outstanding job at running circles around my people."

A light came on in the ceiling over the desk, and Alex was stunned to see that the man wore a general's uniform. He walked around the desk and leaned up against the front of it. "I'm General Nathaniel Hardcastle, the commander of this facility, as well as of Cadmus itself," he said amiably. "And it pleases me greatly to bid you welcome, Alexandra, to your new home."

Although she was no longer gagged, Alex was still so overwhelmed by this situation that all she could do was just stare back at him in numb shock.

**B&B**

Diana sat on the ground by the edge of the pond, staring thoughtfully at her reflection in the water. The dark-haired woman who stared back was clad in nothing more than a basic cloth wrap with a loincloth. It was a rudimentary outfit that was worn here on Paradise Island during exercise sessions. Diana had worn it while she sparred with Euboea earlier today in the sporting arena. At least it was _supposed_ to have been an exercise sparring match--unfortunately, it almost turned out to be a disaster.

Thinking back on the incident, Diana realized that her mind just wasn't focused on the match. All day today she had been thinking about what had occurred back in Gotham City, when Diana had attacked Inspector Benson in her office, and as the realization dawn on her that she had been used--had actually been manipulated into her assault by unseen malevolent forces--Diana's anger had only grown.

And so by the time she faced Euboea in what was supposed to have been a friendly match, Diana was so enraged that she inadvertently took it out on her friend and had nearly killed her.

Before she knew it, Diana had struck the sparring pole from Euboea's hands, knocked the woman to the ground, and was just about to drive her own pole straight down through her opponent's heart until she was suddenly halted in her tracks.

"DIANA!"

Diana, startled out of her anger, stepped back and glanced down in horror at what she had almost done. Euboea stared up at her in sheer shock and fear--and that was an expression that Diana had never wanted to see in her friend's face. The entire arena grew quiet as all of the women ceased their sessions to stare in puzzlement at the Princess.

"Euboea, I am so sorry," she whispered, ashamed. She quickly helped her friend up to her feet.

"It is all right," Euboea said, as she made a casual adjustment of her loincloth. "You've taught me a valuable lesson, Diana: never let my guard down. Shall we start again?"

Yet Diana no longer had the heart for it. When she glanced in the direction of the firm voice that called her name, Diana saw her mother, Hippolyta, had stood up from her throne in the private viewing box. She glared at her daughter with a ferocious anger.

"This is supposed to be only exercise," Hippolyta roared at her. "What did you think you were doing?!"

Diana just shook her head in shame and ran from the arena. She kept running until she arrived at this meadow, where she sat down by the pond and remained there for the longest time. But she now realized that her problems could not be solved by running away, which was exactly what she had done after the incident in Gotham City. The answer was clear.

Diana would have to go back.

Leaving the pond, she went back to her private quarters, where she removed her scant exercise clothes and got dressed--but not in a toga, which was the standard outfit that was worn by he female inhabitants on Paradise Island. Instead, Diana got dressed in another outfit, one that she had not worn in a long while. And when Diana peered at her reflection in the full-length mirror once she was finished dressing, Wonder Woman glared back at her.

She then strode into her mother's throne room, where she found Hippolyta speaking with Euboea, who still wore her exercise outfit. Both women glanced over at Diana with surprise.

"My daughter," Hippolyta said, as she gazed at the Wonder Woman outfit that Diana wore. "You are leaving us?"

"I have to go back, mother," Diana said calmly. "I have to make things right back in the world of men."

After a thoughtful moment, Hippolyta nodded. "I understand, my daughter. You have been deeply troubled ever since you returned. You go, and may the gods grant you a safe journey."

After Diana embraced her mother, she turned to Euboea, who said, "Good hunting, Diana, and if what I saw during our match was any indication, then may the gods have mercy on your prey."

As she made preparations to leave for the world of men, Wonder Woman thought about what Euboea said. She had meant it in jest, but if Wonder Woman did find those who were responsible for her disgrace, then they would indeed need all the mercy the gods could bestow on them.

Because Wonder Woman planned on not showing them any mercy whatsoever.

**B&B**

Roslyn Clemmons could not get Alexandra Cabot out of her mind.

As she rode back to the Gotham City transfer station with Judson and the others in the back of the van, the young Cadmus agent could not shake the haunting image of Alexandra's wide, pleading eyes as she choked under her gag.

And Kyle Judson, Clemmons' partner and senior agent of their team, had just wanted to let her die.

Roslyn had been responsible for bringing in a great number of metas, and she had been very proud of that fact, along with the battle that she helped fight…until now. When they brought in Alexandra, the whole game had changed. For one thing, Cabot wasn't a meta, but a regular human being. Yet the more Roslyn thought on it, the more she realized that perhaps all of the people whom she had helped bring in were just human beings, after all. Sure, they were different from normal people--but, in the end, they were still just people, weren't they? And if they now locked up non-metas like Cabot without a chance to defend herself in a trial, then how far along were they from locking up other regular people--people without powers like Roslyn as well? Where would it end?

When she glanced over at Judson, Roslyn saw that he was glowering angrily at her. He had been glaring at her like this on the entire ride back.

'Well, let him glower,' she thought sullenly. This day had also provided Roslyn with a new look at her boss, as well. Kyle Judson was nothing more than a sadistic scumbag who enjoyed his work way too much.

When their truck finally pulled into the transfer station, Roslyn was the first to get out. She realized with a frown that the place was empty. "Hello," Roslyn called, her voice echoing off the walls. "Anybody here?"

The sight of a lone duffle bag on the platform gave her pause. The clothing that spilled out of it belonged to Alexandra Cabot, and Roslyn was overcome with emotion at the remnants of a life that had been so rudely interrupted. Would Alexandra ever wear these clothes again? Would she even survive the night? And the worst part of it was that no matter what terrible things Alexandra went through right now, it was Roslyn who helped put her there.

'That's it,' Roslyn thought, as she wiped a tear from her eye. 'I've had it.'

She'd go through the motions until her shift was over, and then Roslyn would take some private time to seriously reconsider her life. She had lost the stomach for this job, and wanted out, right now.

"Hey!" Roslyn cried, when one of her fellow Cadmus agents roughly grabbed her from behind. Another pulled her gun from its holster and handed it to Judson, who glared at her with hatred. "Judson, what are you doing?"

"You're shedding tears for these animals, now?" Judson said with a disgusted look. "What'll be the next step for you, Clemmons? Humping them?"

"What are you doing?" Roslyn asked. The icy fingers of fear clamped over her heart as her wrists were pulled behind her and cuffed together. "Let me go, Judson!"

"I've always wondered about your commitment to the Cadmus Project, Clemmons," Judson said, as he imperiously strode back and forth in front of her. "But when you deliberately disobeyed my orders by removing Cabot's gag--"

"She was choking to death!" Roslyn cried. "You were killing her!"

"You obey my orders above all else!" Judson roared back at her. "We have a chain of command, here. And if you disobey me in even the slightest way, do you know what happens, Clemmons?! Do you know what _will_ happen to you, now?! You have any idea what I'm going to have done to you?"

"She's not the one you should be concerned about," a chilling, baleful voice called out from the darkness that surrounded them. "I'd worry about myself right now, if I were you…."

Judson's eyes grew wide as he stared anxiously around him. "Who the hell said that?! Who the hell is--?"

And before Judson even finished, something big and dark swept out of the shadows and slammed into him, knocking him off of his feet. Before Roslyn could even react to this, the men who held her were also knocked down by two more shadowy figures--while a fourth Cadmus man, who stood guard by the truck, was attacked by another mysterious figure.

Roslyn stared in horror as a struggling Judson was being hauled up from the ground by his neck by a dark, menacing figure--a terrifying creature of renown whom Roslyn had secretly hoped she would never meet, not even in her darkest nightmares.

It was the Batman.

When a frantic Judson made an attempt to reach for his gun, the Batman effortlessly slugged him into unconsciousness.

Roslyn flinched when the Dark Knight glared over at her. And as she stood helplessly handcuffed before this unearthly being, Roslyn realized that he would be coming after her, now. He would be dragging her straight down to the very same hell where monsters like her belonged.

"I'M SORRY!" Roslyn screamed in a hysterical panic, as she turned away and ran wildly for her life. "I'M SORRY!"

Roslyn let out a cry of terror when one of the Batman's hellish minions had grabbed her and tackled her to the floor. She tried to struggle, fully expecting the floor to crack open and swallow her into the depths of hell, until the thing that grabbed Roslyn abruptly pulled her into a hug and--in a kind, human-sounding voice--said, "It's ok, sweetie. Shh! Shh! It's ok; you're safe, now. You're safe. Easy, just take it easy."

The woman who held her spoke in such a calm, soothing tone that the panic level that Roslyn felt immediately dropped. She oddly felt safe in the arms of this stranger.

"Is she all right?" a male voice asked.

"What do you think?" the woman who tightly held Roslyn against her shoulder sarcastically replied. "God only knows what they were going to do to her just now. She was already scared out of her mind even before you showed up with your usual fright show introduction. Could somebody get these cuffs off of her?"

"Robin," the man ordered, "get them off of her."

Roslyn had finally calmed down to the point where she could see that there were a group of people who surrounded her. One of them was the Batman--who still looked very intimidating, yet didn't appear to be the demon from hell whom Roslyn had initially envisioned. The other people were a young woman in a similar-looking suit as Batman's; Supergirl, and a large, beefy man with muttonchops. Batman's sidekick Robin, a handsome young man in a more colorful outfit, had bent down and quickly unlocked the cuffs from her wrists.

"There, see?" the woman who held her said. Roslyn recognized her as Olivia Benson. She was clad in an all-black outfit. "Just like I said, you're safe, now."

"Great idea you had in attacking this place, Bats," the man with the muttonchops said gruffly. He gestured at the truck that Roslyn had just arrived in. "Now we've got a Trojan Horse that we can use to just drive right through the front gates. But it's still a helluva long drive we've got ahead of us."

"Supergirl can help with that," Batman told him. "She can fly us out there, greatly cutting down the travel time, and dropping the truck off just far enough away from the base so it won't be seen. Then we'll just drive it up to the gate."

As Benson helped her up to her feet, Roslyn grew excited as she finally realized what was happening. The Batman was planning nothing less than an all out assault on Cadmus. "You'll need an access code," Roslyn blurted out. "The guards at the main gate requires the driver to give one before they can enter. It changes every couple of days."

When she gave them the full six digit code, Benson gave her a brilliant smile. "Thanks very much." Then her smile faded slightly. "I overheard you speaking to Judson over there about Alex Cabot?"

Roslyn remembered the desperate, passionate kiss that Benson had given to Alexandra, just before she and the others had pried them apart, and the shame she felt had made her feel like crying again. "I'm so sorry about that," she told Benson. "When I last saw her, Ms. Cabot was all right. She was with the General."

"What general?" Batman asked sharply.

"General Hardcastle," Roslyn replied. "She was with him in interrogation room A-1, on the administrative level of the prison"

"She's being interrogated?!" Benson said with a fearful look. "Oh, God, Batman, we'd better--"

"We're already moving, Sis," he told her. "Robin, Batgirl, Supergirl: cuff this bunch up--we'll leave them for Gordon and his people to pick up."

When Batgirl made a motion to move towards Roslyn, as if to take her along with the other prisoners, Benson stopped her. "You can't chain her up with her attackers, Batman," she said.

"I have no intention to," the Dark Knight replied. He stared meaningfully at Roslyn, and she felt like nothing more than a mere microbe under his deep, penetrating gaze. "We're letting her go--after she hands over her cell phone."

"You got it," Roslyn replied, as she quickly gave Benson her cell. "Thank you."

"No, thank _you_," Batman told her. "The information you gave us is invaluable."

"Assuming it's on the level," the man with the muttonchops muttered. He eyed Roslyn suspiciously. "And assuming she doesn't double back to here and free her friends later."

"Are you kidding me?" Benson angrily said to him. "Did you see what they were doing to her just before we stopped them?"

"She won't betray us," Batman said, as he continued to gaze steadily at Roslyn. "Because, if she did--"

"No, I won't," Roslyn quickly said, not wanting him to finish his threat. "I'm out of Cadmus as of right now. I quit. I swear."

"Then go," Batman told her. "Start walking, and don't look back."

And so she did. Roslyn walked back to Gotham City for over an hour before she managed to hitch a ride with a trucker. He was even nice enough to deposit her right in her own neighborhood, just a block down from her building.

When she entered her apartment, the first thing she did was turn on her TV set. She figured there would be news of the Batman's assault on the Cadmus prison by now. However, instead of that, Roslyn was surprised to see the image of the Joker was on her TV screen.

"Your tax dollars at work, my friends," the Clown Prince of Crime spoke into the camera, which he held in his hands like a lover.

'Damn it,' Roslyn thought, as she watched the Joker speak on at great length. If Batman did assault the base during the time it took her to get home, then that news might have been overshadowed by the return of the Joker.

Leaving the TV on, Roslyn decided to take a shower. But while she washed, Roslyn kept scrubbing and scrubbing until her skin was raw. She let out a frustrated sob and collapsed to the floor of her shower stall. She pulled her legs up to her chest and sat under the water as she continued to cry bitterly.

Because, no matter how hard she had washed, Roslyn Clemmons just didn't feel clean.

**B&B**

"I've told you once, and I'll tell you again," Alex said calmly, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Yet Hardcastle looked as if he didn't believe her. He shook his head as he walked over and leaned against the front of the desk in the interrogation room. "You can stop playing the brave resistance fighter, Ms. Cabot, because I can assure you that that former life is now over for you. You are a prisoner of Cadmus, now--and as such, we now own you, body and soul. All you can hope for now is that your cooperation will assure better treatment."

Now it was Alex's turn to shake her head. "What the hell happened to due process? You Cadmus people always say you're fighting for this country, but you're doing so by throwing everything that's good about it right out the window."

Hardcastle strode over to her and belted Alex across the face with the back of his hand. Had it not been for her bonds, the blow would have knocked Alex right out of her seat. Despite the fact that the right side of her face stung badly, and she tasted blood, Alex still glared up at him defiantly.

"That was just a small example of how badly things can go for you here, if you don't cooperate," Hardcastle warned her. "Now, once again--and you'd better give a proper answer to my question--who else was working with you in the Gotham City Meta Underground?"

Alex was about to tell him just where he could stuff his 'proper answer' when a sergeant abruptly barged into the room.

"I thought I asked for no interruptions," Hardcastle said angrily.

"My apologies, sir, but the White House is on the line," the Sergeant said, "and they wish to speak to you, sir, right now."

Hardcastle frowned, as if this was very unusual. "Did they give a reason?" he asked.

The Sergeant shook his head. "No, sir. But my guess would be that it's about the Joker."

Despite the fact that she was securely bound to a chair, in the middle of being interrogated, Alex was still shocked to hear this news. "The Joker?!" she exclaimed. "He's back?"

Even Hardcastle was clearly taken aback. "I was under the impression that he was dead."

"No sir, he's very much alive, and has released a video to the media," the Sergeant reported. "All the cable news channels have been running it nonstop for the last hour, now. And, um, sir…the Joker mentions us in the video. He talks about the Cadmus Project at length. It's all on television."

Hardcastle's eyes momentarily flared wide in fear, then he started walking briskly out the door. "Ms. Cabot, if you'll excuse me…."

"Oh, sure," Alex said, as she barked out boisterous laughter.

That made Hardcastle pause by the doorway and glare back at her. "Is something funny, Ms. Cabot?"

"You're dealing with the Joker!" Alex told him, in-between giggles. "Better you than _me_, Hardcastle!"

Hardcastle just stared angrily at her for a second, before he left her alone in the room. Alex's laughter continued to echo in the interrogation chamber.

**B&B**

"You know, I really hate waiting," Lana muttered. "I almost wish I was with them."

"No, you don't," Rachel told her. They both sat in front of the Batcomputer with Sam and Kitty. And when she recalled the memory of her and Bruce's abduction by Two-Face, Rachel shook her head. "Trust me. When Bruce goes out as Batman, things can get very crazy. I don't know how he deals with it."

"How do _you_ deal with it?" Sam asked her. "With Bruce going out like this?"

Rachel smiled at her, pleased to see Sam was looking so much better than when Logan first brought her in. "I guess it's sort of like being a police officer's wife," Rachel replied with a shrug. "It's something that Alex certainly understands; what with all the running around that Liv does in her job. You just understand, being with somebody who has a high-risk job, that it's a part of their life."

"All I know is that I wish _I _was with them," Sam said. "I mean, Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Wolverine, _and_ Supergirl all working together like this? I'd give anything to see them in action against that base. Hell, I almost pity the Cadmus guys they'll be taking on."

"Don't forget Olivia," Alfred said, as he strode past them. "She's quite capable in a fight."

"Don't you mean Huntress?" Rachel said with a smile. "Did you hear that Olivia's finally agreed to be called that, just for this mission?"

"Olivia has only agreed very grudgingly," Alfred said with a grin.

"Are we witnessing the birth of a new superhero, here?" Lana jokingly asked.

"Oh, don't say that to Liv!" Rachel said, as she roared with laughter. Then her mood grew somber as she wondered how they were all doing. "I just hope they're all ok…."

"That fact that Master Bruce, nor any other members of the team, haven't called by now is a good sign," Alfred assured her.

"So as long as we have total silence from them, everything's ok," Lana muttered, as she rested her arm on the Batcomputer's console. "It's still nerve-wracking."

Their conversation was interrupted when they all saw Chloe absently wandering around the Batcave, intently searching for something.

"Chloe," Lana called, "what's wrong?"

"Anybody see my shoes?" Chloe asked, looking completely at sea. "I can't find them anywhere!"

When Kitty burst into riotous laughter, Rachel grinned at the girl. "Uh-oh, looks like we have a shoe bandit in our midst!"

The mirthful moment was shattered when the Batcomputer suddenly began emitting a high-pitched alert sound, with the words 'Red Flag' flashing wildly on the screen.

"Oh, God," Lana anxiously said, as she quickly jerked her arm away from the console. "I'm sorry! What did I do?!"

"It wasn't you, my dear," Alfred assured her, as he consulted the computer. "The Batcomputer is designed to constantly search all aspects of the media for special phrases revelant to the Batman. It's found one."

He punched a button, and an icy chill shot up Rachel's spine when she saw the phrase "The Joker" appear before them on the massive screen. Alfred worked the keyboard and brought up a news website that had a video from The Joker on display. When he played the video, it showed the Clown Prince of Crime standing in a deserted room, speaking into a camcorder, which he held in his hands. "Greetings, kids," he said with a slight smile. "In case you haven't heard, I'm back. And look what I've got to show you."

The video cut to reveal the camera was now obviously mounted on a tripod of some sort. Rachel was surprised to find herself looking at Gotham City Police Inspector Leslie Curnow, who stood in a dimly lit room, speaking to the Joker, who had just handed her a package. Curnow gazed eagerly at the sealed file. "Is this…?" she started to say.

"Yes, it's all the information--and evidence--you need to bring down Gordon, Dawes, and Benson," the Joker told her. "Just as I promised you."

"What about the mayor?" Curnow asked. "Will anything in here affect him, too?"

"Think of it as being a house of cards, my dear," the Joker told her. "You bring down Gordon and the others, and the mayor will fall as well."

Curnow nodded as she tucked the folder under her arm. She glanced over at Joker and said, "Thank you."

The scene changed back to a close up of the Joker's face. "Your tax dollars at work, my friends," he said with a snide smile. "Inspector Curnow is really an agent of the Cadmus Project--you know, that big, scary black ops organization; the existence of which your morally up-right elected public servants keep denying? Oh, trust me, friends, they're all too real. When Curnow failed to get the Batman herself, the Cadmus Project then hired me as sort of a free-lance consultant to help them take down the Batman. And look how well _that's_ worked out! Now, dear viewer, I ask you: do I look like the sort of guy whom you'd want to get into business with? No, I didn't think so…."

He burst into his trademark laughter at that point, a hyena-like sound that chilled Rachel's blood. Then the Joker brought the camera closer to his deathly-white face and added, "This is what happens, my dear viewer, when you let the government manipulate you, and lead you around like the pack of dull-witted sheep that you truly are. In their constant quest for ever more power, they've convinced you that you would be more safer if you just let the Cadmus Project run amuck and take all of the truly interesting people off the streets. And you, the cow-eyed, slack-jawed couch potato that you are, were completely convinced that you were made safe from terror."

The Joker briefly looked away with a mock-thoughtful expression on his face. "Hm, I don't think so, dear viewer. It looks like you were once again suckered by the powers that be, and your stupidity will now cost you. You see, I've decided it's time to teach you a lesson. I'm about to show the dullards of Gotham City what _true_ terror really looks like. And when I'm done with this city, you will once more know what it's like to fear the dark. At least, those of you good citizens who are still left _alive_ come morning…."

The tape ended on The Joker laughing hysterically, and Rachel felt a deep-seated terror she had not known since she was a little girl. She stared, dazed, at Alfred and the others, and they could only gaze back at her with the same shocked expressions.

It was Kitty who innocently broke the silence.

"I don't understand**,"** the girl anxiously said. "What's the Joker gonna do?"

**B&B**

Harley Quinn sat in the corner of the padded room with her arms contained within a straight jacket, and her bare legs casually crossed at the ankles. Nurse Drauslin had Harley confined to the small, padded room for what she called a "time out session" after Harley was caught trying to set Harriet Glubman's hair on fire. Harley didn't know what the big deal was, especially since Glubman had it coming--she was such a big whiner, after all. Maybe next time, Harley will just try and kill the annoying bitch outright. Hell, Nurse Drauslin might want to start watching her back, because Harley was feeling just puckish enough to even try and take her out, too.

Harley was startled out of her happy thoughts of murder by a loud scream that came from just outside of her padded cell. Then it was followed by another scream, and then another, long, shrill cry of terror.

"HEY, KEEP IT DOWN OUT THERE!" Harley angrily shouted. "SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO LOSE OUR MINDS IN PEACE AND QUIET, HERE!"

But as the racket outside only got louder, and more intense, Harley pushed her back up against the wall until she could get her feet underneath her to stand up. Once she was standing, she walked over to the door, which had a small slit of a window. Harley was amazed at what she saw.

People--Arkham Asylum staff members--were running frantically around, being chased by patients! And judging from the bright, flicking glow she saw on the walls, it even looked like the place was on fire!

"Hey, c'mon, let me in on the fun, huh?" Harley whined, as she angrily kicked the door. But she had momentarily forgotten that she was barefoot, and stubbed her toe. "Ow…."

Harley then backed away in alarm when the door to her padded cell suddenly began to unlock. She realized, with growing terror, that a full-scale riot was taking place at Arkham Asylum--and here she was, completely helpless in a straightjacket. "Um, you know what, guys? That's ok, I think I'll just sit this one out right here, ok?"

Her fear dissolved when the door was flung open, and The Joker strode into the cell. "Hello, my dear Harley. Miss me?"

"JOKER!" Harley screamed with joy. She wanted nothing more than to give her long-lost lover a great big hug--but thanks to the straightjacket, she had to settle for excitedly rubbing herself against his body. He was exactly as she had remembered him, tall, gaunt, pale and clad in a purple suit. What a hunk!

The Joker held her out at arm's length and said, "I must say, Harley, you're quite a fetching sight in a straightjacket!"

"Aw, Mister J," Harley said as her cheeks blushed. "You sure know how to flatter a girl! What's going on?"

"Come see for yourself, my dear," The Joker said, as he led her out into the corridor.

Harley was taken aback at the sight of pure bedlam that surrounded her. A fire blazed in what used to be the nurse's station, as several patients, all armed with clubs, chased down one of the male orderlies. Judging from the whumping sounds she heard from around the corner, they got him.

"Ah, chaos," the Joker said with a smile. "Ain't it wonderful? Come with me, my dear."

The Joker led Harley down to a side entrance of Arkham Asylum, where she saw several dozen newly freed patients boarding a large number in the fleet of the asylum's buses. "Those are my boys driving," The Joker proudly told her. "They'll be taking these rambunctious kids straight to the heart of downtown Gotham City for the biggest blow out that town has ever seen!"

"Blow out!" a short, bug-eyed man repeated with a mad giggle. Harley thought he looked somewhat like a crazed Peter Lorre. He kept giggling non-stop. "Blow out! Blow out!"

"Harley, I'd like to introduce you to Eddie," The Joker said. "Eddie here has really proven himself tonight. Eddie, why don't you get take Harley's straightjacket for her?"

"Harley's straightjacket," Eddie repeated, as he nodded his head. He laughed manically as he undid the straps on Harley's back. "Harley's straightjacket…."

'Boy, this dude's _really_ nuts!' Harley thought, as she peered nervously at Eddie over her shoulder. 'And I thought _I_ was bad....'

As the buses began to roll out, the Joker checked his watch and nodded. "Right on time. And the media should have gotten my tape by now. Phase one is complete."

Eddie freed Harley from the straightjacket, but when he tried to stick his hands up her hospital gown, she slapped him away. "Back! Get back, you perv!"

"Eddie," The Joker said in a warning tone. "Behave yourself, now. There's still so much more to do before the party begins."

"Behave," Eddie said, as he giggled crazily. "Yeah, oh, yeah...Eddie behave…."

Harley stared up at the venerable Arkham Asylum and was awed to see a large portion of the facility was now in flames. She turned to the Joker and said, "All of this, freeing everybody from Arkham, is just Phase One? What's Phase Two?"

"Oh, hold on tight, Harley my dear," the Joker told her, as his ruby lips parted into one of his inhuman grins, "because the fun is just beginning."

**To Be Continued....**


	11. Chapter 11

_I'd like to thank D.J. Scales and RebelByrdie for their kind words. Always appreciated. _

**Batman & Benson**

**Chapter Eleven**

When Hardcastle finally spoke with the White House, he had already seen the video from the Joker, and what he saw had repulsed him to no end. Once he got on the phone, he didn't speak to the President, but to Fred Burns, the President's Chief Of Staff. It turned out that Burns was aptly named, for he was well known all along the Washington Beltway for his ferocious, fiery temper, which Hardcastle was subjected to the moment Burns picked up the phone.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Burns screamed at Hardcastle. "You just put this administration in bed with that low-life scumbag, the Joker!"

"I can assure you--as well as the President--Mr. Burns, that Cadmus never hired the Joker for anything. We never had any dealings with the Joker whatsoever. Hell, I didn't even know he was still alive until just now."

"But that _is_ one of your people dealing with him in the video, is it not? Tell me that that's not Leslie Curnow standing with him right there!"

'Good God, Leslie, you've really screwed it good this time,' Hardcastle thought, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, Mr. Burns, that _is_ Leslie Curnow in the video. But, I assure you that, whatever she was up to, she did so without my knowledge."

"And so, to top everything off with the Joker--and now Stark--you tell me you've got agents who're going rogue on you! That you're no longer in control of your own people?" Burns said with disbelief. "Wonderful, just Goddamn wonderful, Hardcastle!"

"Now wait just one damn minute, here; I never said--"

Yet Burns ignored him as he bulldozed right along. "All meta-capturing operations are suspended, and all Cadmus agents are to be called back immediately. This is a direct order from the President himself, Hardcastle. Cadmus is supposed to be black ops, and so here's your chance to prove it: you are to go dark and silent until further notice. You got that, Hardcastle? I want you and your base out there to become a Goddamned black hole!"

He hung up on Hardcastle, who stared thoughtfully at the phone in his hand. Despite the lack of respect that Mr. Burns paid him, he still had authority over Hardcastle, and so the General would do as he was told. Besides, this tactic made sense, anyway--in a crisis like this, it was best to just cease operations for a while and hope the storm blew over.

But there was something that Burns said that really got Hardcastle's attention, something about Stark. Did he mean Tony Stark?

Sergeant Greenly entered Hardcastle's office with a sheepish look. "Excuse me, sir."

"Yes, Greenly--is there any news regarding Tony Stark that I should know about?" Hardcastle asked.

"That's exactly what I was about to inform you, sir," Greenly replied, with a nervous look. "Tony Stark just held a news conference, where he announced that Iron Man has now broken off all ties with Cadmus."

Hardcastle let out an irritated groan as he reeled back in his chair. "This is becoming a most interesting evening. I want to see the Stark news conference. Now."

"Yes, sir." Greenly set up the monitor on Hardcastle's desk. "The video's been downloaded, sir. All you have to do is just press the arrow on the image, and it will start."

"Thank you, Sergeant," Hardcastle said. Then, before his subordinate could leave, he added, "Oh, and Greenly? Order a level one lock down of the base, and send word out to all field agents that they are to suspend all operations and return home, effective immediately."

Greenly nodded. "Yes sir."

Hardcastle watched the Tony Stark press conference with a growing sense of despair--but not for him, nor for Cadmus, but rather because he had liked and admired Stark, whom he thought of as being a true patriot. But now that things were just beginning to hit the fan, Stark turned out to be nothing more than just another self-serving opportunist.

"Mr. Stark," one of the reporters at the conference said, "when you say that Iron Man will no longer be working with Cadmus, are you aware that you are, in effect, confirming the existence of an organization that even the President, along with many members of congress, has denied the existence of?"

"I can't speak for the President, or anybody else," Stark replied. "But, speaking strictly for myself, I can indeed confirm the existence of Cadmus. And I will be glad to testify to the existence of this organization, if need be."

"And so you're saying that everything the Joker has said in his video is correct?" another reporter asked. "And were you aware that Cadmus had hired the Joker? Was _that_ the reason you severed ties with them?"

"No, I did not know that the Joker was on the Cadmus payroll until just recently, and I made my decision to leave well before seeing the Joker's video," Stark responded. "And that's largely the problem I had with Cadmus: everything was too hush-hush. Nobody knew what was really going on in that place--I mean, even after working with them for as long as I did, I still don't even know where their main base is! There are just too many unanswered questions with Cadmus for me to be comfortable continuing to offer my services to them as Iron Man."

'Very well, Tony, if that's how you want to play it,' Hardcastle thought with a nod. 'You're powerless without that fancy suit of yours, and once we strip you of it, I've got a nice, comfy cell waiting here just for you.'

Greenly came back in the office. "Begging your pardon, General; we're in the process of locking down the base, like you ordered--but there's a truck at the gates, waiting to come in with a new 'guest' for the facility. Shall I give them the go ahead?"

"Their pass-code is secure?"

Greenly nodded. "Yes, sir. It's up to date."

"Then let them in, Sergeant. They'll have the honor of having captured the last meta--at least until all this crap blows over."

Greenly saluted him. "Very good, sir. I'll tell the gate to give them access right now."

**B&B**

'C'mon, c'mon already!' Olivia impatiently thought, as she sat waiting for the guards at the main gate to give them clearance.

When Supergirl had deposited the truck on the ground several miles away from the Cadmus base, Olivia had volunteered to drive them up to the gate. She wore a Cadmus jacket over her black outfit, along with a cap which she had taken from the relay station back in Gotham City. And for good measure, Olivia had even put on a pair of sunglasses that she found on the dashboard--even though it was nighttime, Olivia still used the sunglasses in the hope that they would help hide her identity. She figured that one couldn't be too careful, especially now.

Once she'd drove the bulky truck up to the gate, Olivia gave them the code that she'd received from Clemmons. The guard was about to wave her through when another guard called out from the shack. "Wait a minute! They've just implemented a level one lock down, Jerry!"

The guard named Jerry told Olivia to wait here while he went to the shack and spoke on the phone for what felt like several hours.

"We're being held here," Olivia anxiously muttered into her two-way comm.

"Easy, Sis," Batman's calm voice replied. "Just play it cool."

'Yeah, right--easy for you to say,' Olivia thought, as she nervously glanced at the automatic weapons the guards all toted. 'You're all safe and sound in the back….'

She was startled when Jerry suddenly appeared in the side window. "Ok," he said with a nod. "We're in a lock down right now, but you can still go on through. You know, you're the last truck in tonight, maybe for a while. Hope you got a good delivery for us!"

Olivia flashed him one of her brilliant smiles. "Oh, you're just gonna love it, Jerry!"

"We're in," Olivia announced over the comm, as she drove the truck onto the base. The problem was, she had no idea where on the base she should take the truck--until Olivia saw a brightly lit building with a massive garage section over to her right. "This must be the place."

"You _do_ know where you're going, right?" Wolverine asked over the comm.

"No, I have no idea," she flatly replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm just driving around in circles. Is that ok, Wolverine?"

Olivia smiled slightly when she heard Supergirl and Batgirl giggling over the comm. Then she heard Batman say, "Ease off, Wolverine, Huntress knows what she's doing."

Olivia cringed when she heard that. "Why'd I ever let you talk me into using that name, Batman?"

"Because we're all on a mission, Huntress, and are thus unable to use our real names," he sternly reminded her. "And you wanted to come, remember?"

"We could have called you the name _I_ wanted to use," Wolverine said. And she could almost hear his smile. "Hot Fox."

"Um, no…Huntress is good," Olivia primly said, as she pulled the truck into the huge garage. When a soldier on the loading dock started gesturing broadly at her, she added, "Oh, drat, he wants me to back it in…."

"Now would probably be good for us to burst out," Robin suggested.

"No, you'd be out in the open, and too exposed," Olivia said, grunting, as she started the tedious process of turning the truck around. The steering wheel was three times the size of what she was used to in a car. Then the truck began to beep loudly as Olivia backed it up towards the dock.

Olivia watched in the driver's side mirror as the soldier started to guide her in--then the man began to frantically wave her off. "TOO FAST! TOO FAST! HEY, SLOW DOWN, BEFORE YOU--"

"Whoops!" Olivia said she felt the back of the truck slam into the dock. She cupped her hand to the comm device in her ear and whispered, "Sorry, everybody…."

"We've had worst landings," Robin assured her. "Don't worry."

"You got us here, that's all that matters," Batman said. "Now get back here with us, Huntress."

After putting the truck in park, Olivia emerged into the cargo section of the truck through the door in the back of the cab. Once she was there, Batman glanced at her, then at Robin, Batgirl, Supergirl and Wolverine. "Everybody knows what they have to do?"

Everyone nodded--including Olivia, who glanced at Robin, her partner for this mission. As Olivia stripped off the jacket, cap and sunglasses, Robin gave her a confident wink, which she returned. She then put on her night vision goggles, which she had switched off and was basically using as a mask to disguise her identity.

When they heard an impatient rapping sound on the other side of the rear doors, Batgirl and Supergirl unlocked them. Then, just before she opened them, Batgirl glanced back at everyone and asked, "Ready?"

"Let's do this," Wolverine said gruffly.

Batman glared at him. "No killing."

Wolverine glared back. "No promises."

Batgirl pushed opened the doors, and a soldier stood there, his eyes growing wide with horror as he took in the alarming sight before him. "Holy sh--!"

Batman slugged him in the face before the soldier could even finish his swear word. "LET'S GO!"

They all ran out of the back of the truck and scattered onto the dock. Batman took on--and knocked down--two more soldiers while Wolverine charged at an oncoming group of soldiers with his metallic claws fully exposed.

Olivia flicked her baton, which expanded it to its full length, and used it to bash the face of a soldier who was just about to raise his gun at the Batman. The blow from her baton knocked the man to the floor, where he remained.

Supergirl flew all over the loading dock, disarming attacking soldiers with ease while blocking the entranceways with empty trucks, which she dropped down like so much excess baggage. A man was about to attack Batgirl from behind with a tire iron, until Batgirl swung around and kicked him in the stomach.

"Supergirl, Batgirl, go!" Batman ordered.

"Got ya!" Supergirl said, giving him a breezy salute, as she flew past Batman. She landed on the dock and bent down just long enough for Batgirl to climb on her back--then Supergirl flew off down a corridor with Batgirl on her shoulders.

'Be safe, you two,' Olivia thought, as she ran over to Robin. He had just dropped a soldier.

"You ready?" he asked her.

"Yeah," Olivia said with a nod. There was now an alarm klaxon blaring all over the base. "Let's go get Alex."

Batman had launched several smoke pellets, which reduced the Cadmus loading dock to a fog-filled area as he fired a grapple gun at the ceiling and took off into the mist.

'Where's Wolverine?' Olivia wondered, as she and Robin ran down the same corridor that Supergirl and Batgirl went, yet they were taking a different route than the girls.

"Administrative level," Olivia abruptly pointed out a sign on the wall to Robin.

But when they rounded a corner, both Olivia and Robin stopped short when they came face to face with a squad of heavily-armed soldiers. Unlike the soldiers on the loading dock, this bunch were all clad from head to toe in hard core body armor, with strange-looking, owl-like goggles that glowed an eerie blue color.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" their leader commanded. His voice was filtered through the mask that covered his face. "GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND PUT YOUR--"

But he never finished, because right then Wolverine sped straight past Olivia and Robin--and, letting out a savage, war-like roar, he charged right at the group of armored soldiers. As he collided with them, Wolverine impaled two of the soldiers with his claws, as the sheer force of his impact drove all of them straight through the plate glass window they stood in front of.

"Oh, sweet Jesus," Olivia said as she started to run towards Wolverine.

But Robin grabbed her arm. "He'll be fine, Huntress. He heals fast, remember?"

"Go," Wolverine told them, as he got up and quickly stuck several still-twitching soldiers who lay on the floor with his claws. "I've got these clowns…."

"Batman told you not to kill anybody," Olivia chided him, as she and Robin ran past.

Wolverine just grinned broadly at her. "Don't worry, darling, they'll live."

Olivia and Robin sped down the corridor, which led to an office area. There was a large group of office workers who were all fearfully huddled together in the corner. They all stared wide-eyed at Olivia as she stormed towards them. "Where's interrogation room A-1?!" she snarled at them.

A dozen shaking fingers quickly pointed to her left.

"That's it, Robin," she said, running to the only door along the wall that read 'A-1.'

When they opened the door, Olivia froze in terror at the sight before them. A man stood next to a helpless Alex, who was bound to a chair. He held a knife to her throat. A second man stood several feet away from them. With their crisp black suits and overtly calm manner, they both looked like Cadmus field agents.

"Take another step," the man closest to Olivia warned, "and my buddy slits her throat."

**B&B**

"I knew it," Gordon muttered with disgust, as he and his wife Barbra watched The Joker's latest manifesto on the TV in the living room. Gordon, who had been roused from a deep sleep earlier by an urgent phone call from Montoya, sat on the ottoman, quickly putting on his shoes and socks. He wore pants and a dark blue turtleneck with the letters GCPD on the right side of the neck. "I just knew it! Everybody patted me on the back and told me to just relax--that the Joker was dead and long gone. But when we never found his body, I knew….I just _knew_ that this sick son of a bitch would be coming back to haunt us."

"What's he going to do, Jim?" his wife nervously asked, wringing her hands. She was still clad in her pajamas.

Gordon just shook his head. It had been a hell of a night so far--what with Montoya getting a call from Olivia to come pick up a bunch of Cadmus agents who were chained up in a secret base on the outskirts of Gotham City. Then, it wasn't five minutes ago when he got another, more frantic call from Montoya, who told him about the Arkham Asylum breakout and who was behind it: Leslie Curnow--at least, that was whose card that was used to access the side door to the asylum. That was when Gordon turned on the TV set as he started getting dressed, and he finally saw the Joker's video.

"Montoya said that Arkham Asylum has suffered a massive breakout," he replied with a heavy sigh. "Apparently, it looks like the Joker got in and let everybody loose."

"How many of the inmates were freed?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"All of them, according to Renee," Gordon said grimly. "According to Arkham's gateway logs, the Joker used a pass card that was issued to Inspector Curnow. Speaking of whom," he added, as he pulled out his cell phone. Gordon sped-dialed Montoya, who answered on the first ring. "You and Harvey headed back to the city, yet?"

"We're on our way back right now, sir," she reported.

Gordon could hear the emergency siren blaring in their squad car. "Good. Meet me at Leslie Curnow's home."

"Yes, sir," Montoya said. "I take it we're going to question the Inspector about her involvement with the Joker?"

"No, Renee," Gordon said. "We're going to _arrest_ Curnow for being an accomplice of the Joker. Before I go running around, dealing with whatever craziness the Joker has created, I want to make sure that Curnow is put on ice."

"_Oh, yes_ _sir_!" Montoya said eagerly. She almost sounded giddy with delight. "We'll see you there, sir."

When he ended the call, Gordon turned to his wife and said, "Just stay home, and don't leave for any reason. I have uniforms outside, watching the house. You'll be well protected here."

"Jim, what about Barbra?!" she said with a gasp. "Our little baby's out there, all alone in this mess that the Joker has cooked up!"

"She's spending the night at Wayne Manor, remember?" Gordon soothed her. "Trust me, honey, our little girl is safe and sound…."

**B&B**

"Whoa!" Batgirl said, as she just barely ducked a bullet that shot past her head.

"You all right up there?" Supergirl asked.

Batgirl, who rode on Supergirl's back as she flew through the corridors of the Cadmus prison, hunched herself down as much as she could to avoid any more stray bullets. "I'm fine! Just can't wait until we get there!"

"You the one with the photographic memory," Supergirl said. "_Are_ we there, yet?"

"Yes!" Batgirl said with a smile, as she recognized the position from the base designs given to them by the Lone Gunmen. "Stop at this junction right ahead of us."

Supergirl landed on a crouch so as to let Batgirl get off of her shoulders. When she did, Batgirl pointed at the floor. "It's directly below this area, five stories down. You can't miss it."

"Look out!" Supergirl cried, as a platoon of armored soldiers appeared down the hall from them. Supergirl stepped in front of Batgirl just in time to protect her from a barrage of bullets that the troops fired at them.

"Well, now, this is just rude," Supergirl said, annoyed. "C'mon."

She gently pushed Batgirl into a alcove. "Just wait here a moment."

'I wish _I_ was bulletproof,' Batgirl thought with a sigh, as she watched Supergirl calmly walk down the corridor towards the soldiers, completely oblivious to the bullets that bounced off of her slim body.

"GET DOWN ON THE FLOOR," the commander of the soldiers ordered Supergirl. "I SAID, GET DOWN ON THE FLOOR, MISSY, OR ELSE WE WILL…_SWEET SUFFERING JESUS_!!!"

Batgirl risked a look around the corner of the alcove just in time to see Supergirl trashing what was left of the squad of soldiers. Several of them lay prone on the floor around her as she bent their machine guns into an unusable mess with her hands. A small group of remaining soldiers, seeing this sight, merely gave up and ran for their lives in the opposite direction.

"Batgirl, report," Batman said in her comm. "Are you at your target area?"

"Batman, we're here," Batgirl reported. "We got held up by soldiers, but Supergirl took care of them."

"Ok, let's get to it," Supergirl said, as she came back over to where Batgirl stood. She gazed at the floor with an intense look, right where Batgirl had earlier pointed out. "Yeah, there it is--five stories down, just like you said, Batgirl. You might want to step back again."

Batgirl stepped back into the safety of the alcove as Supergirl threw out her arms straight out and began spinning like a top. Batgirl watched, awed, as Supergirl used her very body to drill herself straight down into the floor and kept going. When the debris stopped flying, Batgirl came over and peered into the hole. She smiled when she saw that Supergirl had drilled straight through the five stories.

Supergirl flew back up and hovered over the hole she'd just created, holding out her hand. "C'mon."

Batgirl smiled as she leapt into her newfound friend's sturdy grip. Holding onto her waist, Supergirl gently dropped Batgirl down five stories like a superhuman elevator. They landed in the power station portion of the base, where large turbines rumbled all around them. The area was protected by an impenetrable wall of iron bars--which Batgirl had made sure they landed behind when they dropped down to this level, so they wouldn't have to contend with getting through the bars.

"Lights out," Supergirl said, as she pried an iron bar from a section of the gate and then flung it at the nearest turbine like a javelin. Pierced through the center, the massive turbine screeched to a halt in a shower of sparks. Supergirl kept pulling one bar after another loose and flinging them at the turbines until they were all dark and silent.

Yet Batgirl noted that the lights only flickered, then came back on at full power once more. "The emergency generators just kicked in." Remembering the designs in her photographic memory, she pointed their location out to Supergirl. "They're over here."

"Not anymore," Supergirl said confidently. She took off in full flight mode and rammed her fists into the generators, the force of her blow ripping the first one up from the floor and right into the others.

Batgirl cringed slightly as she covered her ears to protect them from the ear-drum-grinding sound of screeching metal and exploding power lines. Just as Supergirl laid waste to the generators, the lights went out for good and stayed out this time. The only illumination came from battery-operated lamps on the walls, and that was sparse, at best.

"Is that it?" Supergirl asked, when she landed beside Batgirl. "Lights out permanently?"

"Lights out permanently," Batgirl said with a nod. "Along with the power to all of the cells. Congrats, Supergirl, we've just staged a massive jail break!"

"Good," Supergirl said. "Now let's go find that nuke."

**B&B**

When the lights in his cell flickered, Victor Fries glanced up at the ceiling, but saw that the heat lamps were still on full blast. Then he heard some sort of explosion, one which rattled the very foundation of the base, and the lights, as well as the ever-present heat lamps, went out for good.

"Interesting," Victor murmured. He went over to the doorway, stuck out his hand, and noted that the energy shield that kept him locked in his cell was now down.

Not wanting to squander the moment, Victor quickly stepped outside into the hallway. In the dim illumination that came from the emergency pack lights on the walls, Victor could see his skin was already glistening as it began to be covered with ice.

Victor smiled as the ice grew thicker and harder, and soon it became so big and bulky that it covered him all over, ripping through his clothes. He smiled broadly as the ice--his natural suit of armor--continued to swell and crack.

Mr. Freeze was back.

And the time of reckoning was finally at hand.

**B&B**

"Guys, guys, whoa--hold on here," Robin said, as he held his hands up in an easy-going manner. "Look, there's no need to get crazy, all right?"

Olivia glanced at him sharply, wondering what Robin was up to--until she saw the bat dart that he discreetly held in-between two of his fingers.

'He's gonna throw it,' she realized, 'but is just waiting for the right moment. I'd better be ready….'

"Then surrender yourselves to us," the Cadmus agent said. He reached within his suit for something.

And Olivia reached for one of the taser guns on her outfit.

Robin flung the bat dart at the man who held a knife on Alex. He grunted in pain as the dart struck home right in the side of his neck. When he took a step backwards, away from Alex, Robin used that opening to charge right at him.

Just as Olivia raised her stun gun and shot the man who stood in front of her. The stun gun dart buried itself in the man's chest and he froze up in pain as Olivia shot several thousand volts of electricity through him.

And then the lights went out.

"What the hell?" Olivia muttered, confused, as she stood in total darkness. All she could hear were the sounds of a vicious fight--as well as the body of the Cadmus agent whom she'd shot, who had now fallen to the floor.

Then Olivia remembered that the mask she wore was actually a pair of night vision goggles, and she switched them on. In the infra-red light, she watched as Robin just landed a shattering blow to the face of his opponent, who went down permanently. When she heard whimpering, Olivia glanced over and saw a cowering Alex, who anxiously blinked her eyes in the total darkness as she tried to see what was going on. The poor thing looked terrified.

When Olivia came over and embraced her, Alex went into full blown hysterics--screaming and crying incoherently; yet Olivia held onto her tightly and said, "It's me, baby, it's me!"

"Liv?!"

"Yes, sweetie," Olivia told her, as the lights came back on. She pulled off her mask. "See? It's me, your Liv."

The relief that flooded Alex's face at that moment was a joy to behold. Just holding her like this was sheer bliss for Olivia.

"Great job at keeping your identity a secret, Huntress," Robin said with a smile.

Olivia nodded at the two Cadmus agents. "They're knocked out, anyway. And what's with the lights still being on? I thought it was Supergirl and Batgirl's job to take out the power."

"They did," Robin replied, as he helped Olivia to free Alex from her bonds. "These are just emergency lights, which are run off their battery packs. The Cadmus power grid is down…kaput."

But Olivia wasn't really listening. Instead, once Alex was free, she hugged her lover tightly. "Oh, Alex, I never want to let go of you…."

"Me, too. I never lost faith that you would come for me," Alex said. "But, Liv…what the hell are you wearing? And did Robin just call you Huntress?"

"Ok, it's official," Olivia said sheepishly, as she held her arms out so Alex could get a better look at her outfit. "You're the girlfriend of a superhero--but just for now! Once this is over--"

"The Huntress!" Alex said with delight. She turned to Robin and added, "How'd you finally get her to use that name?"

"I'll tell you later," Robin said. "Right now, we should really get out of here."

"Yeah, you're right," Olivia said in agreement. "It's not over yet."

Alex nodded. "Especially with the Joker's return."

Both Olivia and Robin gave her a shocked double take in unison. "_What_?!" Olivia asked, stunned.

Alex stared at them incredulously. "You mean you don't know? The Joker's back, and he's got something big planned."

**B&B**

"Damn it!" Hardcastle muttered under his breath.

He had just come from the combat information room, and before he could even determine that the base was under attack, the situation had already badly deteriorated to the point where they might lose it. And now the base had lost all power--including the back up generators. Which meant that every meta on the base was now running free.

'It was that last damn truck,' Hardcastle realized, as he strode into his office. 'Once they got in, by-passing the perimeter defenses, they split up into separate teams and infiltrated the base before the troops could even be properly mustered. Now I have no choice but to arm the bomb--I just hope the situation doesn't get that far, but I can always use the nuke as a scare tactic to at least get the attackers to back off.'

"God damn," Hardcastle said in disbelief, as he quickly grabbed extra clips for his .45. It had occurred to him that he had just been out-maneuvered by commando tactics--the very same commando tactics that he'd used once himself back when he was in the special forces. "I'd really love to meet whoever planned this…."

"You're in luck," a low, black-hearted voice growled from behind him. "Here I am."

Hardcastle quickly slapped a clip into the bottom of the .45 and whirled around to aim it at whoever just said that.

But he wasn't fast enough.

He let out a grunt of pain as a vise-like grip grasped his gun hand and twisted it downwards, so that the gun was aimed harmlessly at the floor. Then Hardcastle let out a gasp as he was punched hard across the face. The blow knocked Hardcastle back onto the desk, the gun slipping from his hand.

When Nathaniel Hardcastle glanced up at his attacker, his eyes grew wide in astonishment, as it was none other than the Batman who grabbed him by the lapels and hauled him up so that they were face to face.

"Good evening, General," the Dark Knight said, "I've heard you've been wanting to meet me. Shall we talk?"

**To Be continued....**


	12. Chapter 12

_I'd like to thank both RebelByrdie and D.J. Scales for their kind words last time. Thanks!  
_

**Batman & Benson 5**

**Chapter Twelve**

Batman hauled Hardcastle up from the desk until they were face to face, and despite the fact that the Dark Knight had gained the upper hand, the general was still defiant.

"You think you've won?" Hardcastle spat at him. "You think you've defeated me, you crazy bastard? You're only proving my point. You and your kind are all a certifiable threat to the human race!"

"I'm not the one with my finger on the trigger of a nuke," Batman snarled at him. "That makes you more of a threat than anybody else right now, Hardcastle."

Hardcastle suddenly grinned. "That's right, Batman. The bomb's already armed, and it will explode, unless you back--"

"Both the main _and_ auxiliary power are down," Batman reminded him. "And, even ignoring that, I seriously doubt that you've had time to arm the bomb."

"The nuke operates on its own circuit," Hardcastle replied. "And arming it was the first thing I did when I came in here."

"You're bluffing," Batman told him.

"Am I?" Hardcastle replied with a smug smile. "I'm prepared to die for what I believe in. Are you?"

Batman glared at him. His hunch was that Hardcastle was indeed bluffing about everything--that he never armed the bomb at all. But until Supergirl found the nuke and got rid of it, Batman truly couldn't risk it all on this maniac. Then he realized that--with the power down--it was actually just a matter of minutes before Supergirl got to the nuke. Surely he could keep Hardcastle busy until he got the 'all clear' from her.

"You just admitted that you can arm the bomb from here," Batman said, playing a different tactic. "If that's the case, then you can also disarm it from here as well. Tell me how."

"Never," Hardcastle said firmly. "I will never--"

He was interrupted when the Dark Knight slugged him across the face. Hardcastle fell to the floor, and stared up at Batman with a wide-eyed expression that he'd seen before on many a thug's face. It was that moment of horrified clarity they had when they realized that they were caught with their back up against a wall.

And that the Dark Knight would not back down.

Not ever.

"HOW DO YOU TURN THE BOMB OFF?!" Batman demanded. "TELL ME!"

"ROT IN HELL!" Hardcastle shouted back. "That's where you belong, you freak of nat--"

Batman picked up the general and flung him right over his desk. His flailing body cleared the desktop clean of all phones, papers and other assorted office supplies--which rained down on Hardcastle as he landed on the floor.

'I almost hope Supergirl takes her time,' Batman darkly thought, as he reached down and pulled Hardcastle up once more. 'Because, God help me, I'm beginning to enjoy this.'

"You think you're really tough, huh?" Hardcastle spat at him. "You're just a crazed animal in a bat suit!"

"Better to be a crazed animal in a Batsuit than to be what you are: a stinking hypocrite who wraps himself in the American flag," the Dark Knight responded. He hauled Hardcastle up by his lapels. "But that tactic will no longer serve you now. You will finally be held accountable for what you've done."

Hardcastle made a feeble attempt to hit Batman, but the Dark Knight effortlessly blocked the punch by grabbing Hardcastle's fist within his hand.

"You just mentioned how you were prepared to die for what you believed in, General," Batman said, his eyes gleaming like a predator enjoying the hunt. "Let's put that to the test, shall we?"

Hardcastle let out a roar of pain as the Dark Knight suddenly twisted his arm down towards the floor.

**B&B**

"Here we go," Batgirl said, as Supergirl placed her down on the concrete floor. They had arrived on the very bottom floor of the base. Batgirl pointed at a large metal door. "The bomb should be right in there."

"In the big, honking vault, right. That seems pretty obvious," Supergirl said, as she casually grabbed the vault door and flung it from its hinges. It landed against the wall, where it buckled the concrete blocks.

Batgirl stood by the doorway as she watched Supergirl carefully examine the nuke, which looked oddly like a parking cone turned over on its side.

"Looks ok to move," Supergirl said. "No booby traps, or anything like that. I'm gonna just get this thing out of here. Will you be all right here, Batgirl?"

Batgirl smiled. "I'll be fine. You go take care of business."

Supergirl lifted the nuke in both hands, then glanced upwards at the ceiling. Batgirl knew she was using her X-ray vision to examine the 'road' ahead of her, so to speak. Supergirl was checking to see if the way was clear before she did what came next.

Batgirl quickly stepped back as Supergirl flew straight up--and right through the ceiling, carrying the bomb with her. Debris rained down in the small room where the bomb once sat.

Batgirl was startled when she suddenly heard a crumbling, quaking sound come from behind her. A glance over her shoulder showed her the sight of another vault-like door that was also being removed from its hinges--but by somebody, or something, on the other side of it. She recalled that this room was where the more powerful metas were being held captive, and she braced herself for action by assuming a combat stance. While the majority of the metas captured by Cadmus were decent folk--Batgirl knew full well that they had also captured some of the more dangerous ones, like Mr. Freeze.

Yet once the door was removed, and Batgirl clearly saw the person who had effortlessly removed it, she burst into a smile. For although the man was clad in the drab gray outfit that all the Cadmus prisoners wore, she still easily recognized him.

"Superman!"

He momentarily stared at her in amazement. "Batgirl?!"

Batgirl excitedly came over to him. "Supergirl just removed the nuke, and between Batman, Wolverine, and the others, most of the Cadmus troops have been taken out of commission."

"Wolverine?" another voice asked. "He's here?"

Batgirl glanced into the room and saw that it was a large space with several hundred cots set up in rows. Various people either sat up, or were in the process of getting up. Batgirl noted that each cot had some sort of restraining mechanism attached to it which was especially designed to contain the person on the cot. Once she and Supergirl had cut the power to the base, the various restraining devices in this room had ceased working, instantly freeing the captives--which was just what Batman had planned on happening.

A bald man sat up on the cot nearest to Batgirl and Superman--a younger man stood next to him with a blindfold tied over his eyes. A beautiful young black woman also stood next to the bald man in a protective manner. Her hair was snow white in color. Next to her stood another pretty woman with reddish hair. All four of them, like Superman and the rest of the prisoners in the room, wore the same bland gray outfits.

"My name is Professor Xavier," the bald man said. He remained seated as he gestured at the man and woman who stood bedside him. "This is Scott Summers, Ororo Munroe and Jean Grey. Did I hear you correctly, Batgirl? Did you say that Wolverine was with you?"

"Yes," Batgirl replied. "He's here. He's been working with us--with the Batman--in this assault on Cadmus."

"Leave it to Logan to help take the fight right to these bastards," Jean said with a wry smile.

Ororo grinned. "I knew he was just too mean to get himself caught."

"You said Supergirl just removed a nuke?" Superman asked Batgirl.

Batgirl nodded. "They had one here. For use as a last resort, I guess. We managed to get the plans of the base, which greatly helped Batman to plan out the attack. Oh…speaking of whom, I should really let the Batman know that the bomb is now out of commission."

"Actually, that's a good idea," Professor Xavier said with a nod. "I should also 'reach out' and see who else among the X-Men is here with us."

**B&B**

'What the hell is happening?!' Anna Marie wondered, as she sat helplessly in the dark. One minute she was sitting on the floor of her cell, futilely struggling against the damn straightjacket that these Cadmus bastards had her strapped into on a continuous basis--thanks to their fear of her mutant power, which was the absorption of the memories, physical abilities and even meta powers of anyone whom she touched. And then, in the very next moment--without warning--Anna had found herself in total darkness.

Well, not total darkness. Anna soon realized that she could see; there were emergency lights on all over. But the main power was out--even the energy shield of her cell appeared to be down.

'Something happened,' she realized, her eyes wide, 'something big!'

When she heard a jumble of panicked voices from down the hallway, Anna expertly pressed her legs underneath her and got to her feet. After wearing this damn straightjacket for what felt like forever now, she had become something of an expert at getting up without the use of her hands.

She walked over to the doorway of her cell and nervously stood there, uncertain if it was really safe to leave. Biting her lower lip, Anna thrust her bare foot through the doorway, bracing herself for the expected shock. But when it didn't come, she quickly stepped through the doorway and stood in the hallway with an excited giggle. It didn't matter now that Anna still wore the straightjacket, just the fact that she was out of the damned cell, all on her own, was a major achievement. But now what?

When she heard more excited chatter from down the hall, Anna called out. Lorna Dane--aka Polaris--emerged from around a corner, her eyes wide when she saw Anna. Barefoot, she was also clad in the same drab gray clothing that Anna wore.

"Rogue, it's Rogue!" Lorna excitedly called over her shoulder, using Anna's X-Men handle.

Anna was pleased to see a group of young students from the X-Men mansion all come running at her, including Megan Gwynn, whose colorful pixie wings were even more prominent, thanks to the Cadmus-outfitted tank top that she wore.

"Oh, whoa!" Anna muttered, when they all crowded around her and gave her a big group hug. Ironically, right at this moment, the straightjacket turned out to be a big help, as it prevented the children from touching Anna's exposed skin and being affected by her mutant power. "Ok, guys…ok, it's really great to see you, too."

Although she was the youngest member of the elite group trained by Professor Xavier that was presently comprised of the X-Men, the even more younger students at the Mansion had always treated Anna as an approachable big sister. And so they began babbling and gesturing at her all at once about what were they going to do, and--more importantly--what did _she_ think they should do.

"Wait, wait, WAIT!" Anna shouted, just to be heard over the din. Once they were quiet, Anna added, "Would somebody _PLEASE_ get me out of this straightjacket, first?!"

"Here," a male voice said, "allow me."

Anna glanced up and was further relieved to see Remy LeBeau, aka Gambit, walk over to her. Her fellow X-Men member, and sometime lover, had arrived with Bobby "Iceman" Drake and they both got busy undoing the restraints. Soon Anna let out a sigh of relief once she was finally freed from the straightjacket.

She impulsively shared a very brief hug with Remy, who flinched slightly in shock from her mutant power. But he shrugged it off with an easy smile. "You're still a live wire, babe."

Anna momentarily stared dreamily at him, wondering why the hell did she break up with this gorgeous man. But she quickly pushed the lingering thoughts about Remy to the side. They were all still in danger; now was not the time for this.

As she looked over the crowd who stood before her, Anna asked, "Is this everybody they took from the Mansion? I don't see Storm, Phoenix or Cyclops…and where's Kitty?"

"Kitty escaped," Megan said sadly. "We haven't seen her since. We don't know if she got away, or if she had been--"

"If Kitty's still here, we'll find her," Anna promised the young girl.

"We also haven't heard from the Professor, either," Bobby said with a concerned look.

A loud crash from down the hallway drew their attention, and when they ran down to see what it was, Anna was stunned to see the elevator doors had been pried open by a large man who was covered from head to toe in ice. He momentarily turned to glance back at them, the ice on his body cracking and breaking with his very movement. He grinned broadly at them, and Anna took a frightened step backwards when she saw that the man within the ice looked just like a corpse.

The giant ice man then began to climb up the elevator shaft by forcibly ramming the talons on his claw-like hands into the walls.

They all stood fearfully watching him until he disappeared. Then Remy turned to Bobby and nervously asked, "Dude, friend of yours?"

"Uh…no," Bobby said with an uneasy shake of his head. "Never saw that guy before, and wouldn't really mind if I never did again…."

Anna instantly forgot about the creepy iceman when she thought she saw movement from within a darkened cell. "Hey, is there somebody in here?"

When she moved in for a closer look, the sight that greeted her caused Anna to be repulsed. "Oh, my God…."

The captive in the cell was a young, black-haired boy who didn't look any older than nine. He was strapped to a chair, with his mouth muzzled. He stared pleadingly at them. He was so small his feet dangled from the chair.

As they all immediately freed him from his bonds, Anna made sure several of the kids stayed out of the cell--just in case the power came back on and they were trapped inside once more, at least all of them wouldn't be caught.

Yet the power remained off even after the boy was freed. They quickly got him out of the cell. Remy bent down and said, "You doing ok, buddy?"

"Yeah," the boy replied. His voice was hoarse. "Were you guys captured, too?"

"Yes, all of us," Bobby replied. "What's your name?"

"Billy," he answered, licking his lips.

"Pleased to meet you Billy," Bobby said, as he shook the boy's hand. "I'm Bobby, this is Remy, and that's Anna."

Anna was abruptly startled when a familiar voice called her name. 'Rogue. Can you hear me?'

"Wait, you guys hear that?" Anna said, as she glanced around. "It's Professor Xavier!"

"Where?" Remy asked, as he looked around, confused.

"Wait a minute." Realizing that the Professor had just contacted her psychically, Anna closed her eyes and opened her mind, just as he had taught her.

'Professor Xavier?' she mentally projected to him. Xavier was a powerful enough psychic that he could communicate even with non-psychics like her. 'Are you all right?'

'I'm fine,' he replied.

"Ooo! I just heard him in my mind!" Megan exclaimed.

"Shhh!" Bobby shushed her. "We all just did. Just try and concentrate."

'Where are you?' Anna mentally asked.

'I've been placed in a forced coma, along with many other of the more powerful metas,' Xavier answered. 'Cyclops, Phoenix and Storm are with me, and they've just woken up as well. The machines that had kept us under had been knocked out by the power outage.'

'What's happening here, Professor? We just saw this ice man--'

'Yes, I sensed him, too. Stay away from him, Rogue,' Xavier said urgently. 'He's very powerful, and dangerous. Just stay where you are and let the Batman handle him.'

"The Batman?" Bobby asked, surprised. "He's here, too?"

'He's the one behind this jail break,' Xavier told them. 'All of you, just remain where you are. We're coming up to you.'

"We're not going anywhere, anyway," Remy said, as he glanced up the elevator shaft. "This looks like the only way out of here, and ice boy just smashed it up for us."

"There's a stairwell right here," Anna said, as she tried the door. It was locked. "It won't open!"

The door remained stuck even after Remy and Bobby tried it with her. "Step back," Bobby said, as he held his hands up. "I'll see if I can--"

"Wait, guys, I can help!" Billy spoke up. He stepped in-between Bobby and the door.

Anna bent down before the little boy. "Maybe you should just take it easy, Billy. We'll see if we can--"

"No, no," he insisted. "I'd be a big help to you, Anna! My power is really awesome! Just let me show you, ok?"

She shared a smile with Remy and Bobby, who both shrugged good-naturedly.

"Ok," Remy said. "Show us what you've got, little dude!"

Anna reluctantly stepped back. "As long as you feel up to it, Billy. I don't want you to over-exert yourself."

"Oh, don't worry, Anna, I'll be just fine!" he cheerfully told her.

Then little Billy raised his head upwards and shouted, "SHAZAM!"

**B&B**

"Batman, everybody else," Batgirl's voice sounded over Olivia's comm device, "the nuke is taken care of. Supergirl just flew out of here with it. We're all clear."

"Thank you, Batgirl," Batman's voice responded over the comm. "And thank Supergirl for me once she gets back. Meet up with us outside Hardcastle's office on the administrative level."

"Yeah, that's great news!" Olivia chimed in. "Great job, Batgirl, Supergirl!"

The newly freed Alex, who walked down the hallway with her and Robin, turned to Olivia with a puzzled look and said, "What is it?"

"They removed the nuke from the base," Robin told her. "We're safe from anybody trying to blow us up."

"A nuke?" Alex said, her eyes wide behind her glasses. "T-There was a nuke here?"

"Not anymore," Olivia assured her. She grabbed Alex's hand. "C'mon, let's go meet up with the Batman."

"Huntress, get a load of this," Robin said, as he gestured at the group of office workers ahead of them who were all scampering down the hallway.

"Where the hell are _you_ going?!" Olivia shouted at the office workers, who stopped dead in their tracks and fearfully stared at her. Olivia pulled out her baton and waved it at them. "You little bastards seriously think you're just going to sneak off into the night?"

"Oh, but w-we're not really involved," a pudgy-looking man tried to explain to Olivia. "We're just administrative--"

"Yeah, yeah, you can explain it to the authorities when they get here," Olivia said, cutting him off. "Robin, where can we lock these guys up?"

"How about right here," Robin said, opening the door to one of the interrogation rooms. "Poetic justice, wouldn't you think?"

"Everybody get in there, now!" Olivia commanded, waving her baton.

"I-I'm not very good in small, confined spaces," one of the female office workers nervously said as she and the others were herded into their temporary jail.

"Yeah, neither am I," Alex angrily shot back. "But that didn't bother_ you_ in the slightest before, so try and imagine how little I care about your comfort right now."

Once they were inside the room, Robin shut the door and locked it on them. "That'll hold them until the Calvary gets here."

"You guys even have Calvary coming?" Alex said, impressed.

Olivia nodded. "The Lone Gunmen are standing by, waiting for a call from the Batman. They know some trustworthy agents in the FBI who will come out here and take charge for us."

"There's not much for them to take charge of," Wolverine said, as he strode up to them. "I'm real happy to report that the Cadmus security troops are history. We've pretty much got the run of the base."

Wolverine glanced at Alex with smiled. "And I am _so_ glad to see you!"

Yet before Alex could reply, they were all startled when they heard a loud crashing sound from down the hallway. To Olivia, it sounded like the building itself was coming down, and she wondered in a panic if Supergirl and Batgirl might have missed a second nuke.

But as they all ran towards the source of the commotion, what Olivia saw was even more frightening.

Mr. Freeze stood in the hallway, having emerged from the ruined elevator shaft directly behind him. He was in his complete, icy glory as he took a threatening step towards the Batman, who held a terrified Hardcastle beside him by the back of the neck.

"Hardcastle _will_ face justice, Victor," Batman was saying. "But in a court of law, from a jury of his peers."

Mr. Freeze held up one ice-covered hand, and Olivia watched, stunned, as the ice quickly shaped itself into a large frozen hammer. Once it was fully formed, Mr. Freeze slammed it down on the floor and said, "Court is now in session, Batman. General Hardcastle has been found guilty of all counts. And now he will be executed."

'Of all the metas we had to meet here,' Olivia thought, dismally shaking her head, 'why'd it have to be _this_ frigging guy?!'

**B&B**

"¡Dios mío!" Montoya said in shock, when she saw a car jump the curb just down the block from where she sat with Harvey in their sedan. Thankfully, there wasn't anybody on the sidewalk when the errant car decided to unlawfully use it as another lane. And a police patrol car, with its emergency lights and siren blazing, was already in pursuit of the vehicle.

"Is it me," Harvey said, as he drove on, "or are things a little more crazy in town tonight?"

"You think?" Montoya sarcastically asked, as they drove past a building in flames. Fire trucks had already responded, so there was no need for them to call it in.

Just as they arrived at Inspector Leslie Curnow's house, Montoya received a call on her cell. As she got out of the car, she pulled out the cell and saw the call was from Gordon. She answered the phone as Harvey stood staring up at something in the sky in amazement.

"Renee," Gordon said over the phone. "It looks like the Joker, that sick son of a bitch, has actually transported most--if not all--of the escaped inmates from Arkham directly into the heart of the city. We've got a full-scale riot of psychos on our hands! You and Harvey will have to take Curnow in by yourselves. I'm up to my ears in directing the police response to this mess."

He hung up before she could even reply--not that Montoya was miffed; she understood perfectly. Gordon really sounded frantic on the phone. "We're on our own," she told Harvey, who continued to stare up at the might sky. "The Joker's has transported a large number of the escaped crazies from Arkham right here in the heart of the city. The commissioner is busy dealing with it. That explains the wackiness we've been seeing all night."

"Yeah," Harvey said, as he gestured upwards, "and that ain't _all_ the wackiness that's going on, Renee…."

Montoya glanced up, and her eyes went wide at the sight of Leslie Curnow, who stood on the very ledge of the roof of her building. She defiantly glared down at them and shouted, "I don't care what the media calls me, I am _not_ the Joker's whore! I'll die before I let you take me in--do you hear me? I will throw myself off of this roof, first!"

Montoya just stare dup at her in dazed silence.

"What do ya think, Renee?" Harvey asked, as he thoughtfully chewed on a toothpick. "Should we let her take a swan dive? Might make life a lot easier for us."

She angrily slapped him on the shoulder. "No, Harvey, we're not going to let her take a dive," Montoya hissed at him. "We going to try and talk her down."

"How?" he asked with a bored look.

Montoya glanced back up at the desperate Curnow, who looked ready and willing to fling herself off of the roof--and then felt despair at the complexity of the monumental task that she faced; all to try and save a person whom she wasn't very fond of to begin with.

This made Montoya wearily rub her eyes as she muttered "¡Dios mío!" once again.

"Oh, c'mon, Renee," Harvey said with a smile. "Don't tell me you're not enjoying this!"

"Harvey, just do me a favor, ok? Shut up, and let me do all the talking," Montoya curtly replied, as she quickly ran up the stairway to the front door. The building's maintenance man, alerted to the potential suicide on the roof, stood holding the door open for her.

"You mean we're actually gonna try and talk that crazy bitch down?" Harvey asked, as he followed her into the building. "Aw, nuts…."

**B&B**

J'onn J'onzz was stunned at the horrid violence that was committed so casually in the streets outside his home. A man had flung a garbage can through the front window of a shop while two more men gave chase to a screaming woman down a side street.

'The shop will have to wait,' J'onn thought. He had originally meant to go in the streets in his normal John Jones persona, but it soon became clear that--despite the department-wide emergency call for all police officers to go on duty during this crisis--his services as the Martian Manhunter would be needed far more right now.

And so he transformed into his natural green-skinned body and uniform as he dived out of his apartment window, knowing that in the chaos that surrounded him, nobody would even notice his change. He caught up to the men and grabbed each one by the collar. Then he took off into the night, easily pulling the wiggling men up like a pair of dolls.

"It's all right Miss," he called down to the woman. "You're safe now!"

"Nobody's safe!" one of the wild-eyed men whom J'onn carried shouted at him. "It's hell on earth tonight, and the Joker is the conductor!"

"Once the Joker arrives," the other man said, with an equally crazed look in his eyes, "we will all go to hell together! It'll be great! They serve very pleasant toast down there!"

"That's nice," J'onn said serenely, as he hovered over a garbage bin. "You can wait for the Joker in here."

He dropped the men into the garbage bin, then shut the lid and jammed it closed by pressing the edges together against the side of the bin. The men banged and yelled within, but, sealed as they were inside the bin, they weren't going anywhere.

When he heard a scream, J'onn glanced down the street and saw the same poor woman was now beset by a new group of thugs. J'onn flew down the street and tackled two of the men, just as the other two were ensnared by a golden lasso.

A surprised J'onn saw none other than Wonder Woman on the other end of the lasso. She smiled at him as she reined in the two men whom she captured. "J'onn! Fancy meeting you, here!"

"The feeling is mutual, Wonder Woman," he said. The men he tackled were now knocked out, so he got up and went over to the Amazonian Princess. "What brings you to Gotham City?"

"I came to apologize for my behavior the last time I was here," she said, with a shy glance down at the street. "But, I've found myself right in the middle of this mess, instead!"

"Your timing is impeccable," J'onn told her with a smile. "We could really use your help here, tonight. The Joker is back and has freed all of Arkham Asylum's most wicked on us."

Wonder Woman stared at him with surprise. "You make it sound like you live here, J'onn."

"I do. Gotham City is now my home," he told her. "I work as a detective with the GCPD's Special Victim's Unit. I even have a partner in the squad."

She looked puzzled. "Why?"

"When the Justice League broke up, I originally took sanctuary among these people," J'onn gestured at the troubled city. "And, in doing so, I came to understand them better. I realized that while they are not a perfect people, they are worth fighting for."

"FREEZE!"

J'onn was shocked to turn around and see that the source of that shouted command was none other than Katie, his partner and friend from the SVU. She stood wide-eyed with her arms out and gun pointed at them. "Don't make any sudden moves, either of you!"

'She must be on her way to pick me up,' J'onn thought. 'That would explain why she's in the neighborhood.' It was ironic that he fought so hard to keep his true identity from Kate on a daily basis--only to have her bump into him like this, while he was in his true form.

"My dear," Wonder Woman said with a smile to Kate. "Do either of us look like we're from Arkham Asylum?"

"_You_ certainly belong there!" Katie shot back. "You think we haven't forgotten your last visit to police headquarters, Wonder Woman?"

That caused a pained expression to erupt on Diana's face, and J'onn realized then that she was truly filled with regret for what she had done. He made the slightest of gestures with his hand--one which she caught and responded to with a nod.

And then they were both airborne, shooting into the night sky while Katie shouted curses at them from the street below.

When they landed on the roof of the building across the street, J'onn saw his partner was still fuming on the corner where they left her. She calmed down enough to call in for uniforms to pick up the Arkham goons who lay unconscious around her.

"Sorry, Katie," J'onn said, and he meant it. Of all the humans he'd come to know here in Gotham City, she was one of the rare ones whom he had the honor to call a close friend.

"You know her?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Remember I said I had a partner in the SVU?" J'onn gestured at Kate. "That's her."

"She hates me," Wonder Woman said morosely. "They all do, and they have a very good reason to."

"Stay here and keep helping out as much as you can," J'onn advised her. "I meant it when I said we really needed the help. And, after all this is over, if you really want to apologize to somebody, then seek out Inspector Benson and tell _her_ that you're sorry. Once you've done these things, Diana, then you will have rebuilt the trust you once had."

"You act like I'm staying for good this time," she uneasily muttered.

"If you came back to apologize, then you must have a desire to return," J'onn said. "And I, for one, would welcome you back, Diana. But, of course, the choice is yours."

They were both startled by an explosion that rocked the street, which was briefly illuminated by a mushroom cloud of firey smoke.

"I'd better go check that out," Wonder Woman said.

J'onn nodded. "Yes, I should get back to Kate, but in my human guise. She will need my help tonight."

Wonder Woman momentarily paused to glance at Kate with a smile. "She's very cute; a real fiesty little warrior at heart. _Now_ I see why you're hanging around here, J'onn!"

"No, it's not like that," J'onn insisted. "We're just friends!"

"Oh, of course," Wonder Woman replied, sounding as if she didn't believe him for a second. Still smiling, she took off into the night. "Whatever you say, J'onn!"

"But we _are_ just friends!" he called after her. Yet Wonder Woman flew off towards the cause of the explosion. Shaking his head, J'onn flew back to his apartment, where he changed into his human form and got dressed and strapped on his gun.

He was just walking out the door of his apartment when he literally bumped into Katie in the hallway. "What have you been doing? Sleeping?" she asked, annoyed. "Didn't you get the General Alert call from the department? We've got a full-scale riot out there!"

"I was asleep," he lied. "But I'm fully awake now. Let's go."

As they walked to the elevator, Kate said, "You'll never guess who I just met on the street right now."

"Who?" Although J'onn knew full well what just happened to Katie, he still had to pretend he didn't.

"Wonder Woman and the Hulk," she said, with a shake of her head. "Can you believe it? They were just hanging out together on the corner, right down the street here!"

It took everything J'onn had to keep from bursting out laughing. "That's really…amazing, Katie."

As they rode down in the elevator, she abruptly frowned. "Strange. I always thought the Hulk was a lot more…bigger, and bulkier than he looked just now, you know?"

"Maybe he's on a diet," J'onn suggested, deadpan, as they exited the elevator.

"Hey," Kate said, giving him a sly smile. "You starting in on me again, Jonesy?"

**B&B**

"Don't come near me!" Leslie Curnow cried. "I'll jump, I swear I will!"

Montoya held her hands out as she slowly approached the ledge of the building. "Easy, Inspector, easy. I'm not gonna do anything you don't want to do, ok?"

"Yeah," Harvey chimed in behind Montoya. "Just make sure you don't do anything stupid, there, either, Inspector, huh?"

Montoya rolled her eyes in disgust at her partner's usual "tactful" choice of words. "Everybody just take it easy…just take it easy, ok? Nobody's gonna do anything stupid here tonight, all right?"

"I didn't do anything at all!" Curnow cried, as she stared fearfully down at the street, which lay several stories beneath her. "I'm not the Joker's goddamn whore!"

"Nobody said you were," Montoya told her, as she stepped closer.

"But that bastard took pictures of me in my underwear!" Curnow said. "I was unconscious! Helpless! And he posed me in bed with him, as if we were making love! He posted them all on the goddamn internet!"

"Wait, there are pictures of you in your underwear on the internet?" Harvey asked. "Uh, you wouldn't happen to have the website address of--?"

"Harvey," an enraged Montoya snarled at him through clenched teeth, "shut up!"

"What?" he asked innocently. "We need to gather evidence, right?"

"You see?" Curnow said, as the tears burst forth. "I was once a proud soldier who would have gladly have given my life to protect this country, and now look at me! I come to Gotham City, and now I'm nothing more than a laughing stock--a joke!"

"But, novia, you were a victim," Montoya said, as she stepped ever closer. Thankfully, Curnow's back was facing her. "You have merely become the latest victim of the Joker. This is what he does, Leslie, he destroys lives--I mean, at least he destroys the lives of those whom he does not kill outright. And you should consider yourself lucky in that regard, right?"

That gave the crying Curnow pause. "Yeah…I guess so. What the…?"

They were all distracted by a large explosion that erupted on a street a few blocks away from them. Curnow stared, amazed, as a firey mushroom cloud streaked upward into the night.

Montoya used the momentary disruption to lunge for Curnow. She grabbed the woman around the waist and tried to haul her back onto the roof, but their combined weight was suddenly thrown forward, and a panicked Montoya found herself being hoisted over the side of the building right along with Curnow.

"Harvey, ayudarme!" she screamed. "HELP!"

"All right, that's enough," Harvey said, as he grabbed both women with a beefy arm and hauled them back to safety onto the roof. "Playtime's over."

Montoya did a double take when she saw a crowd of people had gathered on the street. They now all cheered and applauded them. She gave them a wave, feeling very grateful not to be a splatter mark on the pavement right now. Then she glanced up at the rest of the city and was awed, and terrified, at the sight she beheld.

Several more explosions rattled Gotham City as Montoya could see at least three buildings were now aflame. A man was running through the street below her, yelling wildly at the top of his lungs, still clad in a straightjacket.

"Hey, kiddo…."

She turned to see Harvey had cuffed Curnow. He stared at her with concern. "You ok?"

She nodded. Then gestured at the city-wide chaos. "But this…just look at this, Harvey…."

He stared grimly at the scene. "Yeah, you said it best: ¡Dios mío! If we ever needed proof that the Joker was truly back in town, Renee, this is it."

**B&B**

Harley Quinn emerged from the back of the truck, now fully clad in her red, black and white outfit and make up. Leave it to the Joker to think about bringing her a change of clothes. What a classy guy!

Speaking of the Joker, she scanned the crowd of henchmen for the Clown Prince of Crime, but could not find him. Shivering in the chilliness of the deep woods, Harley wondered why Mister J insisted they come all the way to the outskirts of Gotham City like this. They were missing a helluva party in town right now!

Harley watched as several of the Joker's men were busy setting up large, heavy duty tripods along the side of the road. She wondered what they were for--until she saw the Joker himself and forgot all about them.

The Joker stood off from the crowd, speaking intently with Eddie, who kept giggling as he nodded in agreement. Then the Joker gestured for him to leave, and Eddie did. He was still giggling as he got in one of the cars and drove off.

"Where's he going, Mister J?" Harley asked, as she rubbed her arms against the cold. "To get us some warm coffee, I hope?"

"Oh, come here, my little buttercup, and I shall warm you," the Joker said, as he embraced her in a gentle hug. "No, I sent Eddie off to initiate plan B."

"Plan B?" Harley asked with a frown. "Why do we even need a plan B when plan A is going so well?"

"When dealing with the Batman, my dear, it's always good to have a plan B," the Joker told her.

"But I'm still not even sure what plan A is," Harley said. She gestured at the tripods, which now had big olive-colored boxes on them. "What are those, cameras?"

"No my dear, they're the missile launchers," the Joker informed her, as they walked over to the tripods.

Harley now saw that the men who were setting up the launchers were busy cutting down the foliage in front of them. "Careful boys," the Joker called to them. "That's quite a drop in front of you!"

Harley stepped in-between the tripods and peeked over the side. Down in a valley below her, stood the Kane Dam, which supplied most of the power to Gotham City, which lay down river.

She saw, with widening eyes, that the missle launchers were all pointed straight down at the dam.

"It's the duty of every good host to clean up after a party," the Joker said, his ruby lips parting into another of his ghastly smiles. "And, once that dam blows, my dear, Gotham City will face a cleansing of biblical proportions!"

**To Be Continued....**


	13. Chapter 13

_My thanks to M.C. Herrera, D.J. Scales and RebelByrdie for their kind and helpful remarks._

**Batman & Benson 5**

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Oh, geez…"

Iris Allen paused in loading the dishes into the dishwasher. "Barry?" she called with concern. "Is everything all right?"

"Um, yeah, honey. Everything's fine!"

But Iris had been married to this man long enough to know when he was trying to bluff her, and that's exactly what it sounded like Barry was doing right now. Shaking her head, she put the dishes down and went into the living room.

She found Barry fretting over the TV, which showed some horrible images of destruction and violence in the streets of a city. "Dear God," Iris said, shocked. "Where is this?!"

"Gotham City," Barry said, fidgeting nervously. "The Joker unleashed all of the prisoners of Arkham Asylum right on the city. It's complete chaos, Iris, even with the riot police out in full force."

Iris gasped in horror when the image on the TV changed to a bus load of people who teetered over the edge of a bridge. People were hanging out the windows, screaming for help, while the bus--balanced ever so precariously over the edge--threatened to plunge straight into the dark river below with just the slightest wrong movement form the people within.

When Barry saw this, he instinctively got to his feet and was about to hit the special ring that he wore on his hand. But he stopped himself. Iris saw that he was in agony, and so she went over to him and said, "Barry, go."

He stared at her, stunned. "What?"

"You heard me," Iris told him. "I know you've retired--but that was because you thought people no longer needed you." She glanced at the TV. "Well, it looks like they need you now. So go, my love, and do what you do best: help people in need."

Barry gazed at her with a mixture of awe and love. "Thank you."

He pushed the button on the ring, and within seconds, Iris watched as her husband was replaced by the red and yellow-clad speedster known as the Flash.

"Be right back," he said, before he vanished in a reddish blur.

"Be careful," Iris replied. But she knew full well that, by the time she had even finished speaking those two words, her husband was already racing halfway across the country.

Iris sat down and watched the poor souls aboard the teetering bus; then she burst into a smile when a familiar red blur appeared all around the vehicle, plucking each and every passenger--as well as the unconscious driver--off of the bus and placing them safely on the asphalt of the bridge within seconds. The empty bus then fell harmlessly into the river, while the cheering crowd of rescue workers and other people on the bridge all cheered the Flash, who stood still momentarily to give a wave.

"That's my guy," Iris said, as she swelled with pride at the sight of her husband, her hero.

Then the Flash suddenly glanced up at the night sky to give a thumbs up at somebody. The TV news camera, which was mounted on a helicopter, quickly pulled back to reveal Hawkman and Hawkgirl, who swooped past the helicopter like a pair of avenging angels as they, along with the Flash, sped onto the next crisis.

'Oh, my God,' Iris thought, filled with wonder and excitement at that hopeful image. 'Could it be true? Could the heroes finally be back for good?'

**B&B**

"This had better be really good, Potts," Stark muttered, as he walked into the vast living room of his home. "I'm right in the middle of working on something, so the world had better be coming to an end in a big, flaming fireball of…_what the hell_?!"

The images that greeted him on his plasma TV were a stunning display of savagery and destruction. Fires burned in buildings in the background while riot police clashed with lunatics in straightjackets. The mayor of Gotham City pleaded with residents to stay indoors while the police tried to contain the chaos that had been unleashed by the Joker.

"Yeah, right," Tony Stark muttered, as he quickly came to a decision. "Ok, fine…."

When he turned and walked away, Pepper shouted, "Wait, how can you just ignore all of this?!"

"I'm not, I'm going back downstairs to change into the suit," he told her at the top of the stairs. With one last grim look at the carnage on the TV, he added, "Looks like Iron Man will be paying a visit to Gotham City after all."

**B&B**

"Listen to me, Victor," Batman said, as he held out his right hand. "It doesn't have to be this way."

Mr. Freeze blew out the chunk of ice that covered his mouth and replied, "It does indeed have to be this way, Batman. General Hardcastle _made_ it this way. And it shall end _my_ way. Hand over the General, and you shall not be harmed."

With just the slightest nod of his head, Batman had indicated for Robin to come over, and when he did, Robin grabbed a visibly shaken Hardcastle from Batman's grasp. That now left Batman's left hand free.

"Cadmus is finished, Victor, it's done," the Batman said, as he discreetly reached into the side of his utility belt with his left hand. He still held up his right hand in a peaceful gesture--as well as to distract Victor's attention from what his left hand was doing. "I swear to you that you will be treated fairly from this point on."

Batman glanced over to his left and saw that Wolverine stood with Huntress and Alex. Alex was clad in a plain gray outfit and had ligature marks on her wrist and ankles--but otherwise, she looked all right; something which the Dark Knight was grateful to see. Batman mentally marked their positions, as well as Robin and Hardcastle's, because once it hit the fan with Mr. Freeze, he wanted to make sure nobody else got hurt in the brawl.

"We can even work on treating you," Batman continued, as his left hand pulled out a slender missile contained within its own launcher from his utility belt. It was a phosphorus missile, made especially for Mr. Freeze, which Batman had brought just in case this situation presented itself. The problem was that the launcher was so small, that the range of the missile was very limited, so Batman would have to get very close to Freeze--and he would have only one shot. "Perhaps we can even bring you back to normal, Victor."

"There is a problem with that scenario, Batman," Mr. Freeze said solemnly. Then his face burst into a ghastly grin. "I rather like who I am right now."

'Now,' Batman thought, as he aimed the phosphorus missile--

--just as Wolverine charged right at Mr. Freeze, his claws exposed. He inadvertently blocked Batman's line of fire.

"Wolverine, no!" Batman yelled.

But Wolverine let out a roar of fury as he plunged his claws into Mr. Freeze's torso--then his eyes grew wide when he saw that his attack had virtually no effect on the iceman, who merely gazed down at Wolverine with mild interest.

And Mr. Freeze was still grinning.

"Oh, Christ," Wolverine muttered, as he quickly pulled his claws out from Mr. Freeze's torso. "You're gonna be real fun to take down, aren't ya, bub?"

"Fun, yes," Mr. Freeze said, as the ice on the fingers of his right hand grew out into razor-sharp talons. "And I have claws, too…."

Batman stepped in front of Wolverine and fired the phosphorus missile right into the slash marks in Mr. Freeze's torso. The missile, upon punching through the layer of ice, burst into a white hot miniature sun. Mr. Freeze let out a roar of pain as he reeled back--

--and then Batman and Wolverine were abruptly caught in a blizzard. It was no doubt created by Mr. Freeze. Batman grunted as he fought to see through the flurry of dense white snow and icy winds that blew all around them. He felt Wolverine grab his arm--but Batman wasn't sure if Wolverine was offering support, or clinging to him for it.

But just as quickly as it started, the blizzard suddenly ended. As the last of the unnatural snow storm died out, Batman was startled to see a pretty young black woman who floated in the air. Barefoot, she was clad in the same style gray tank top/pants outfit that Alex wore, and as she hovered in the air, her alabaster-white hair billowed as her arms were stretched out wide.

"Is everyone all right?" she asked. Her eyes were as white as pearls. "Where did this blizzard come from?"

"Mr. Freeze," Batman replied. He looked around for the iceman, but couldn't find him. He apparently created the storm as a cover to vanish. Batman was pleased to see that Robin still held Hardcastle, who was unharmed.

"Storm!" Wolverine said with a smile. "Damn, I'm glad to see you!"

Batman glanced with concern over at Huntress and Alex, who both indicated that they were all right. Assured of their well-being, Batman then followed a trail of melted ice on the floor, which led to the loading dock, where they had originally came in from. He saw a gaping hole in the wall, which could have only been created by Mr. Freeze.

Supergirl stood by the hole, examining it carefully. When Batman approached her, she said, "Who did this?!"

"You didn't see Mr. Freeze leave?" Batman asked, annoyed.

She shook her head. "This was already like this when I got here."

Batman peered at the darkness outside and muttered, "Damn it."

Mr. Freeze was long gone.

"I could do a search for him," Supergirl offered.

"No, that's all right," Batman told her. "I dealt with him before, and when Mr. Freeze wants to vanish, he's almost like a ghost. Did you dispose of the bomb like I asked?"

Supergirl nodded. "Yep, I hid it in the Fortress Of Solitude, just like you asked. It's also been completely disabled. The nuke won't go off now, even if you hit it."

"Good, thank you," Batman said. Normally they would have just destroyed a nuke like that. But he knew that there would be trials soon--people would be made to pay for this atrocity on freedom--and Batman wanted to keep the nuke as evidence of the brutality of the Cadmus operation.

'As if keeping people locked away without a trial wasn't brutal enough,' Batman solemnly thought, as he watched a large group of the ex-prisoners of Cadmus as they all tentatively walked out onto the loading dock. Many of them, such as the X-Men, were already taking charge. Batman saw that some of them had taken Hardcastle into their custody, and the defeated general now spoke intensely with a seated bald man whom Batman recognized as being Professor Xavier.

And yet many of the former Cadmus prisoners, who were mostly non-superheroes, had been so resoundingly defeated by their experience that they cringed fearfully against the wall, as if they were expecting to be beaten just for being here.

But Batman almost smiled when he saw Huntress--Olivia, bless her heart--had fussed and nurtured over some of the more timid people like a mother hen, reassuring them in gentle tones that their long nightmare was finally over.

Then Supergirl did a double take at something she saw over Batman's shoulder. "Um, excuse me, Batman."

Batman saw her literally fly straight into the arms of Superman, who wore the male version of the gray Cadmus prisoner outfit. The cousins hugged each other tightly. "You all right, cuz?"

"I'm fine," he replied. "They had me knocked out under a red sun lamp, but I've recovered--thanks to you and Batgirl for taking out the power." He glanced meaningfully at Batman. "And thanks to you, as well, for planning this whole thing."

"You seriously didn't think I was just going to let you continue to sleep it off, did you?" Batman said in jest, as he and Superman shook hands.

"Not with all that's been going on in the world lately," Superman said. "It's good to be back."

Robin and Alex appeared with Batgirl, then they walked over to Huntress and spoke briefly to her. Batman watched as she pointed him out to the others, then Huntress joined the group as they came over to him.

"We need to get back to Gotham City immediately, Batman," Huntress said. "The Joker is back. It's all over the news. He's attacked Arkham Asylum and released all of the prisoners on Gotham City. And, to top it off, he's just released a second manifesto, where he's gloating about it on the internet."

Robin handed him a cell phone with internet access, and Batman watched with increasing rage as the Joker delivered one of his self-important manifestos about how he was teaching the stupid citizens of Gotham City a lesson.

"Whose phone is this?" Batman asked.

"One of the Cadmus guards'," Batgirl replied with a shrug. "We'd figured, since he's not using it right now…."

'Damn it,' Batman thought, as he re-watched the Joker's manifesto once again. He had really been looking forward to spending some quiet time with Rachel. 'So much for _that_ idea….'

Batman turned to Supergirl and said, "I hate to ask, since you've already done so much…."

"You guys need a quick lift back to Gotham City?" Supergirl said with a smile. "You got it. Let me get a truck."

"Superman, the FBI are already coming here right now," Batman said. "They're being led by Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. The Lone Gunmen should have called them by now."

"Yes, I remember Mulder and Scully," Superman said with a nod. "They were also on scene at the Warehouse 15 fiasco with Starro. They're decent folk."

Batman nodded. "So you know you can trust them. Spread the word to the other metas: their days of being persecuted are over."

"Don't worry, Batman, just get back to Gotham and take care of business," Superman said.

"What's going on?" Wolverine asked with concern. The black woman called Storm was with him, and Batman noted her eyes now looked more normal with regular pupils.

"The Joker is back," Robin told him. "He's causing a mass panic back in Gotham City."

Stunned, Wolverine shook his head. "The Joker rears his head the same night you take down Cadmus--it's never a dull moment for you guys, is it?!"

"Welcome to our world," the Batman grumbled. "We've got to go, now. You stay and take care of your people, Wolverine."

"No, we owe you, big time," Wolverine said. "If you've got a problem, then I'm coming to help."

"Same here!" Supergirl called to them, after she plopped down the only undamaged truck that she could find. "I'm not just bringing you guys home, I'm also staying to help you in anyway I can."

"So am I," Storm said. "Just let me tell the professor and the others."

"I'll stay long enough to help greet the FBI, and make sure the situation here is secure, but I'll also be there as fast as I can, Batman," Superman promised. "See you later."

"Thanks, Superman," Batman said, as they shook hands once more.

"No, Batman, thank _you_," Superman said quietly. He held onto Batman's hand. "Leave it to the Dark Knight to be our brightest hope in our most darkest hour. You've done some magnificent work, here."

Batman, taken aback by the compliment, merely grunted a response as he turned and walked away. The others followed.

"Where to in Gotham city?" Supergirl asked, as she stood on top of the truck.

"The center of town," Huntress said, with a glance at Batman. "Since that's where most of the rioting is taking place, right?"

Batman was about to agree with her--but something kept bothering him. It was something about the Joker's video manifesto. "Wait a minute. Give me the phone back."

Everybody huddled around him as the Batman watched the Joker once more--but this time, Batman didn't listen to the Joker. In fact, he had turned the sound down. He wanted to carefully watch his old nemesis this time.

And Batman caught it.

"Joker, you son of a bitch," Batman said softly.

"What is it, Batman?" Huntress asked.

"Look at him," Batman pointed at the Joker on the screen. "Look at where he is."

"Looks like the woods," Robin commented.

"Exactly," Batman said. "He's just unleashed all of Arkham Asylum's worst right on Gotham City, and yet his latest video shows he's miles away from the epicenter. Why?"

"Maybe it was pre-recorded hours before?" Batgirl suggested.

Batman shook his head. "He's mentioned right in this video how there are several superheroes helping out in Gotham right now--and that their help wouldn't matter. So this was obviously recorded well after the break out. The Joker is an egomaniac who loves chaos, and yet he's nowhere near the site of his latest calamity. In fact, he's nowhere near Gotham City at all, which tells me that he's got something even bigger planned."

"Like what?" an alarmed Alex asked.

"That's what I'm going to find out," Batman replied, as he strode towards the truck. "Supergirl, take us directly to the Batcave."

"You got it," she responded.

Everybody got inside the truck and the doors shut. Batman was about to give Alfred a call, yet before he did, Huntress leaned over to him and whispered, "You sure it's smart going directly to the Batcave? We've got another guest this time."

When she gestured at Storm, Batman decided to get the awkwardness out of the way immediately. He stepped over to her, held out his hand, and said, "I'm Bruce Wayne, Storm. Pleased to meet you."

"Um, hi, I'm Ororo Munroe," she replied, looking stunned, as they shook hands.

"Oh, well, in that case," Olivia said, as she stripped off her Huntress mask. "Hiya! My name's Olivia Benson."

"Alex Cabot," she chimed in, as she lovingly held Olivia's hand in her own.

"Dick Grayson," Robin said with a nod.

"And I'm Barbra Gordon," Batgirl added with an engaging grin.

"Hello," Storm said to all of them, with an incredulous look that Batman found amusing. It was as if she couldn't quite believe what was going on.

"If you think all this is amazing," Wolverine said to her, "just wait until you see the Batcave!"

**B&B**

The guards at the gate had apparently abandoned their post, and so Fox Mulder ordered the FBI's HRT members to storm the gates. When they did, blowing them apart with explosives, they were not met with any resistance whatsoever.

And so Mulder ordered a steady but cautious advance onto the military base. Once they got to the receiving station, which looked like a large loading dock, Mulder pulled the car over and he and Scully got out. The HRT commander, who had already arrived in advance with his men, strode up to them and waved the all clear. "The prisoners have taken over the base, sir," he reported. "The Cadmus people have been largely subdued."

"Start searching all the buildings," Mulder ordered. "Everybody who works here is to be arrested--I don't care if it's just the janitor, take them _all_ into custody. We'll sort out who did what later. Got it?"

The HRT commander nodded. "Yes, sir."

Scully walked over to him after just speaking with Trooper Jerrod of the Indiana State Police. "Mulder, the cordon the ISP has set up around the base has already caught some of the Cadmus stragglers trying to escape. And also that--whoa!"

She stopped to stare wide-eyed at something in the sky just over Mulder's shoulder. When Mulder looked up, he saw a truck--a regular armored car--flying peacefully and purposefully through the air at a high rate of speed.

Scully, dazed, just shook her head. "Mulder, what the hell?"

"Roll with it, Scully, just roll with it," Mulder told her, smiling, as he walked into the loading dock.

Scully let out a chuckle as she walked alongside him. "After all these years with you, Mulder, that's pretty much what I _have_ been doing!"

Mulder's smile faded when he saw the Cadmus prisoners, most of whom reeled back in terror from him and Scully. Their drab gray outfits and paranoid demeanor were a most unsettling sight to behold.

"Listen to me," Mulder said, as he got on top of a wrecked truck. "Please listen to me: I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder and this is Special Agent Dana Scully. We're from the FBI and we're not here to hurt you!"

"You can believe them," a man called out from the crowd. Mulder was stunned to see that it was none other than Superman. He was also clad in Cadmus prisoner gray.

"If you trust me," the Man Of Steel told his fellow ex-prisoners, "then you can trust these people."

"The ordeal that you people have suffered at the hands of Cadmus is over," Mulder told the crowd, who appeared to calm down at this bit of news. "You're all going home."

"Can we please get the medics in here?" Scully called to the troopers at the door. "On the double!"

A group of Cadmus gray clad teenagers brought forth an Army general who wore a pair of handcuffs that were made out of ice on his wrists. "You'll want him," a strikingly beautiful young woman with a white streak in her hair told Mulder. "This is the guy in charge of this concentration camp."

"General Hardcastle, yes," Mulder said, as he got down from the truck. He strode over until he was face to face with the man--who looked like he'd been in a hell of a fight. "I know who you are. And I'm extremely pleased to meet you."

"I want my lawyer," Hardcastle tersely grumbled.

"Oh, yes, of course you do," Mulder said, growing enraged by the man's smug attitude. Here was a scumbag who ignored the bill of rights by denying the most basic rights of his prisoners, but once _he_ got caught, now he's whining about _his_ own rights. It was so damn typical of these bastards…. "Tell me, sir, just how do you sleep at nights?"

Hardcastle just smiled at him. "Quite well, Agent Mulder, thank you."

As he glared back at Hardcastle, Mulder thought, 'Just when I thought I couldn't hate this son of a bitch any more than I do now….'

**B&B**

"God damn," Jack Malone muttered, as he stared at the TV in horror. Special Agents Vivian Johnson and Elena Delgado, who were regular members of his Missing Persons Squad, were with him as they leaned against the desk in Malone's office. Danny Taylor, another member of Jack's squad, paced back and forth like an angry tiger waiting for its meal. Although his anger made him too restless to stand still, Danny still couldn't avert his eyes from the stunning story that the news media had just begun to report on from Indiana. The Cadmus prison for meta humans, long thought to be just a nasty rumor, had just been uncovered.

The FBI, along with the Indiana State Police, had just taken over a military base, which had officially been listed by the Army as being shut down. It had been commandeered by Cadmus, and the images of their former prisoners was a startling sight to see.

"Lindsay, do you hear me?" the news anchor on TV asked.

"Yes, George, I'm here," a young woman replied, as the TV cut to a live image of her standing on the base.

"We're seeing images of soldiers being arrested," the anchor said. "But they're not regular Army troops, correct?"

"No, George--that's actually a very good point," Lindsay said. "These are all Cadmus personnel whom the FBI have taken into custody. Although Cadmus had taken over an old Army base, the Army itself was never involved in the Cadmus Project--a point that General Teague, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff made in a news conference earlier. Cadmus apparently had its own armed troops, all of whom you see now being led away in custody by the FBI, and the ISP."

"And what about the reports that Cadmus had children among its prisoner population?" the anchor asked. "Is that true?"

"Unfortunately, George, that's all too true. We've seen children no older than three years of age wearing the gray Cadmus prison uniforms. We also have reports of entire families--the parents and their young children--being imprisoned here by Cadmus. We witnessed one family in particular, the Power family of Virginia, celebrate a joyful reunion just a few minutes ago. We'll run that tape for you, now--"

"Dear God in heaven," Vivian said sadly, her voice broken with emotion. "What have we done? What have we become?"

"But they stopped it," Elena uneasily said. "That's good, right? I mean, it's over and done, now."

Vivian just shook her head. "It never should have started in the first place…."

"And how many people are out there right now, thinking that imprisoning metas like this is still a good idea?" Malone said with disgust. "If nothing else, I'm willing to bet that we'll be clearing a lot of missing persons cases off of the books, now."

They were startled by a sound from outside of Malone's office. They were alone here tonight; with the exception of Malone's office, the entire floor was empty and dark. Danny glanced out the doorway in the direction of where the sound came.

He glanced back with a look of amazement. "You believe this? The stupid bastard actually came in!"

"Get away from the door," Malone ordered Danny. "I don't want to scare him away."

Danny moved to the other side of the office just as Special Agent Greg Homier appeared at the doorway.

"Greg!" Malone said, as he plastered a smile on his face. "Thanks so much for coming in, man! Here, have a seat."

Vivian shut off the TV as Danny and Elena quickly surrounded Greg, who sat down before Jack's desk, still unaware of what was really going on. "What's the problem, Jack?" he asked. "You said it was urgent."

"It is, Greg," Malone said. "You see, earlier tonight, Martin awoke from his coma at the hospital."

Greg looked stunned at first--then he smiled broadly. "W-Why that's great! Is he gong to be all right?"

Malone nodded solemnly. The bastards at Cadmus had taken advantage of Martin's addiction to prescription pills--something he had kept hidden from everyone--and hung it over his head as a threat, forcing him to work for them. Martin's career with the FBI was effectively over, and he may even face criminal charges--but thankfully, he was going to be physically all right. "Yeah, Greg, he's gonna be fine. But, here's why I asked you to come in at this ungodly hour of the night: as you well know, we've all been wracking our brains, trying to find this second Cadmus double agent who's supposed to be working within our ranks."

"Yeah," Greg said with a grim nod. "I'm not so sure there even _is_ a second double agent--or else we would have found him by now."

"Oh, but there _is_ a double agent," Malone said, as he leaned over and glared at Homier right in the face. "Martin said it was you, Greg. He told us that _you_ were the second Cadmus agent working here!"

"Wait, what…?" Greg said, stunned. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how you forced Samantha Spade into the life of a hunted fugitive because you made her out to be a mad dog killer," Malone angrily spat at him. "You framed her! How much does Cadmus pay for something like that, Greg? What's the going rate for destroying somebody's life?"

Greg then stunned Malone when he abruptly reached for his weapon--yet he was stopped when Danny pointed his gun right at the side of Greg's temple.

"You want to draw on us, you son of a bitch?" an enraged Danny said. "Go right ahead--I'll ventilate your damn skull before you even get it out of the holster!"

"Elena, get his gun," Malone said.

Greg had a painful look of defeat on his face as Elena pulled his gun out of his holster. Danny then hauled Greg up to his feet, where he cuffed his wrists behind his back while Elena coldly read him his rights.

Malone continued to glare at this traitor hatefully, until Vivian placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll take charge of his booking," she told him. "Why don't you go get some rest, Jack. It's been a long day for you."

Malone nodded in agreement. But rest was the last thing he was gong to do right now. As he left the office, he said, "If you need me, I'll be on my cell."

"Wait," Vivian called after him. "You're not going home?"

Malone paused by the doorway and shook his head. "No. I'm going to Gotham City. I'm gonna find Sam and bring her home."

**B&B**

Batman called ahead and asked Alfred to have the new video from the Joker ready and primed for him on the Batcomputer. The opening image of the Joker was already on the main screen when the Dark Knight entered and sat down. Olivia saw that the first thing Batman did was run the video again, and she wondered what he was hoping to find.

Olivia smiled broadly at the exuberant welcome that Alex got from Rachel, Alfred, Sam, Chloe, Lana and Kitty. And speaking of Kitty, the little girl was so ecstatic to see Storm once again that she hugged the woman tightly for a full five minutes. Kitty then took it upon herself to proudly introduce Storm to the others.

When she saw Batman, Robin and Batgirl all intently lean into the main screen of the Batcomputer, Olivia went over to see what they were doing. She noted that Batman had the Joker's latest video--the one where he was in the woods--on a separate screen, while a computer graphic filled the rest of the main screen. It was a computer graphic of the autumn leaf colors in the greater Gotham City area. The further North one got from the city, the more colorful the leaves were.

"Look," Batman said, pointing at the Joker's video. "There's nary a green leaf on the trees behind him. They've all changed."

Batgirl nodded. "So he must have been pretty far North of the city where he shot this." She gestured at the leaf color graphic. "Which places him in the red/gold zone up there."

"Good thing he had a bright light on the camera," Robin commented. "Otherwise, we'd never been able to tell what color the leaves were behind him."

"Let's see what's in that red/gold zone," Batman said, "if anything."

With a few keystrokes, Batman laid a detailed map of the greater Gotham City area over the leaf color graphic, and Olivia's eyes grew wide when she saw that the Robert Kane Dam was in that same red/gold area.

"Oh, Christ," she said with dread. "You don't think the Joker's got something planned with the dam, do you?"

"Like busting it?" Batman grimly said, as he got up from the chair. "I wouldn't put it past him."

"You think the Joker's at the dam?" Wolverine said, as he and Storm came over.

"It's just a hunch, but I'm willing to play it out," Batman said. "You coming?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Storm replied.

"Batgirl, you remain here and man the Batcomputer for me. If this doesn't pan out, I'll need you to try and help us find out where else the Joker could be."

"Got it, Batman," Batgirl said with a nod.

"Knowing that rat bastard, I'm willing to bet that he _would_ blow the dam," Olivia said. "It's just his style."

"I agree, Sis, but it's best to cover all the bases," Batman said. "And you can sit this one out, Huntress. You've done more than enough for one night. Thank you. Robin, Wolverine, Storm and Supergirl, let's get to the Batwing."

"Good hunting," Olivia called after them.

"And be careful," Rachel anxiously added. "Please."

"Always," Batman called back from atop of the steps.

When Rachel still appeared unnerved, Lana came over and placed an arm over her shoulders. "I know you can't help but worry. But I have a feeling that, after dealing with Cadmus, this should be a cakewalk for the Batman and the others."

"Were Batman dealing with anybody else, then that might be the case," Olivia said. "But then, you've never dealt with the Joker, have you, Lana?"

"No, I haven't," Lana admitted.

"The Joker is unlike any other villain that even the Batman has dealt with, Ms. Lang," Alfred intoned somberly. "Hence our reluctance to treat him lightly. The Clown Prince Of Crime can be as deadly, and as unpredictable, as a cobra, and must therefore be afforded with only the greatest of caution."

What followed after Alfred spoke was an uneasy silence.

**B&B**

The Joker smiled as he started up the car. Then he got out and left it running while in park. 'Perfect,' he thought.

His smile spread out into a grin as he glanced over at Harley, who came running over to him. "Watcha doing, Mister J?"

"First rule of the game, my dear Harley," the Joker said as they walked back over to the missile launchers. "Always leave yourself an exit. Preferably one that's loaded with explosives."

"The guys have cleared the foliage from around the missile launchers," Harley reported. "We're about ready to fire!"

"Then fire away, boys!" Joker called to his men. "Fire at will! But since Will isn't here, then the Kane Dam shall suffice."

"Joker!" Lenny called. "We've got an aircraft approaching from the South!"

The Joker giggled with anticipation. He was now glad he had put Lenny on anti-aircraft duty, for as he peered through the binoculars up at the bat-shaped craft as it soared through the moon-lit skies, he was actually pleased to see the Batman. He wasn't sure how the Dark Knight figured out where he was, but leave it to the Joker's favorite playmate to always show up on time for the party.

And this time, the Joker was more than ready for him.

"Let's give the Dark Knight a prize for arriving so promptly, shall we, Lenny?"

"You got it, Joker." Lenny hefted a large, collapsible launcher onto his massive shoulder. He took a moment to target the oncoming aircraft, then fired a heat-seeking, stinger anti-aircraft missile into the night air.

Both the Joker and Harley let out wild peals of laughter as the stinger missile screamed upwards, straight at the Batwing.

"Let the games begin," the Joker said with relish, as he waited for the inevitable collision.

**To Be Continued....**


	14. Chapter 14

_My thanks, as always, to RebelByrdie for her comments._

**Batman & Benson 5**

**Chapter Fourteen**

"There they are," Batman said, as he pointed at a battery of what looked like portable missile launchers on the ridge just above the Robert Kane Dam.

When an emergency alarm went off on the main console, Robin said, "A Stinger missile, Batman! It's headed straight for us!"

"Supergirl," Batman said, tapping the comm unit on the side of his cowl. "Go."

"Gotcha!" she replied.

"Hang on," Batman said to the others, as he sent the Batwing into an emergency dive.

**B&B**

Supergirl swung out from right behind the Batwing, where she'd been flying in close formation in order to help Batman spring his surprise. She pounced down and punched the Stinger missile before it could even get close to the Batwing. The resulting explosion knocked her backwards for a spell, but it was nothing major--Supergirl even managed to protect her earpiece comm unit by covering it with her hand this time.

Yet no sooner did she stop the Stinger then Supergirl saw the main missile battery open fire twice on the dam.

"Darn it!"

Supergirl dived down as fast as she could after the two missiles. She stopped one of them by using her heat vision to burn out its circuits, causing it to explode in mid-air. Yet the precious seconds she spent doing this allowed the second missile to slam right into the concrete surface of the dam. It hit with an explosion that sent concrete shards flying all over.

"No, no, no," Supergirl pleaded, as she landed on the damaged section. There was a gaping hole that still smoked momentarily from the missile. Supergirl's eyes grew wide with horror when she saw cracks begin to break open from the hole and spread across the surface of the dam. Water began to spray from the cracks.

When a section of the concrete buckled, Supergirl slapped her hands onto it and used all of her might to press it back into place. But as strong as she was, Supergirl was battling the might of a river that continuously pushed against this damaged dam. It was all she could do just to hold everything together.

"Batman," she called in a panic. "Help!"

**B&B**

Yet before Batman could even respond, the console blurted out another alarm as a second Stinger missile shot up at them. Storm quickly stood up in the back of the Batwing and said, "Allow me!"

Wolverine opened the floor hatch for her and Storm dove straight out into the night.

Robin did a double take at the woman, who was still clad only in the meager prison clothes given to her by Cadmus. "Whoa, wait a minute! She _can_ fly, right?"

"Don't worry, kid," Wolverine said with a grin, as he closed the hatch. "Storm's got it covered."

**B&B**

"Oh, well, that's just not playing fair," the Joker muttered, as he watched a black woman in a drab outfit dive out the back of the Batwing. She then proceeded to eliminate the second Stinger missile with what looked like a flash of lightning. "Bad enough he's got Supergirl; now there's another super-chick. Lenny, forget it! Get to the car and warm it up for us."

Lenny looked very happy to just drop the Stinger missile launcher and make a run for it through the woods.

"What? Why?" Harlequin said, annoyed. "I thought the fun's just beginning, Mister J!"

"No, my dear," the Joker said, as he grimly watched as the Batwing assaulted the missile battery--which was destroyed instantly as the men who manned it all ran for their lives. "Batman cheated by calling in some of his Super Friends for help. But that will cost him…oh yes, it will. Get to the car, my love. We live to play another day."

When Harley started running towards the car that the Joker had left running--the one with the explosives in the trunk--he reached out and grabbed her arm. "No, not _that_ car, my dearest. I meant the limo. Lenny's got it parked down the road in the bushes."

Harley's eyes grew wide at something just behind the Joker. "Oh, I think it's too late, Joker!"

Joker spun around and saw the Batman was walking towards him, along with a strange-looking man with mutton-chops. 'Mutton-chops?' Joker thought with a smile. 'How very seventies….'

"It's over, Joker," the Batman grimly told him.

"I have only one thing to say to you, Batman," Joker said, putting on a false pretense of annoyance.

"Oh, yeah?" the mutton-chopped man said. "And what would that be, Chuckles?"

"Ka-pow," Joker said softly.

Batman abruptly grabbed the man and began to say, "Wait, watch out for--"

Just then, the Joker pulled out a detonator and pressed the big red button. The running car that was just behind him--the very one that Harley nearly got into--had promptly exploded into a fireball.

As he hunched down against the explosion, the Joker was pleased to see that the shock wave knocked down the Batman and his new pal. But it also had knocked down Harley, who lay flat on her back with a dazed look on her face.

"It's like I always say, Harley," the Joker muttered, as he picked up his girlfriend and slung her over his shoulder. "Always have an exit."

He quickly carried her through the pathway in the foliage to a clearing in the woods, where Lenny sat waiting for them in the limo, which he already had running. Placing Harley on the backseat floor, the Joker sat down in the back seat and said, "Home, James."

Lenny glanced back at him with a disconcerted look. "But, uh, boss, my name isn't--"

He abruptly stopped when the Joker shot him a harsh glare. "Uh…yes, Joker."

As Lenny drove them back to the hideout, the Joker sat and reflected on the evening. All in all, it wasn't too bad--true, he was thwarted in drowning Gotham City's residents like the bunch of rats that they truly were, yet the Joker had still given the town a night it would never forget anytime soon.

'And there's still Eddie,' Joker thought, as his ruby red lips parted into a vicious smile. If Eddie was successful, then the Joker will have still delivered a crushing blow to his mortal enemy, the Batman. The loss should go a long way to shattering the Dark Knight's psyche, making him all the more vulnerable the next time they met.

'And so it begins again,' the Joker thought. They would lay low for a good long while, reloading, and then the Joker would make his move. Last he heard, there was no real crime lord in Gotham City to speak of--at least not since the death of Boss Thorne. That idiot Penguin had made things even easier recently by killing more than half of the remaining mobsters in the city. There was presently a power vacuum within the underworld in Gotham City.

'Since nobody else wants the crime lord job, then I guess I'll take it.' That thought made the Joker smile once more.

Harley sat up and placed a hand on his knee. "Whoa, what a blast…."

The Joker momentarily considered killing her right there and then. It would be very easy to do--just a quick, firm stick with a knife, and then just dump her body on the side of the road. But then the Joker reconsidered; he figured that he would let Harley live, for now. After all, she could prove to be most useful in the coming underworld war, since she _was_ a trained psychiatrist, after. Plus, Harley was so damn easy to manipulate.

"Come here, my sweet," Joker said, assuming the role of the loving boyfriend once more.

She cuddled in his lap and said, "Sorry it didn't work out with the dam, Mister J."

"There's no use crying over spilt milk, Harley-kins--or, in this case, an un-spilt dam," the Joker said. "Besides, it's not completely over. Our little friend Eddie is still out there, ready and waiting to strike."

"Ya think Eddie is up to it, Joker?"

The Joker just grinned at her. "My dear Harley, you should know by now that you should _never_ underestimate the wild card."

**B&B**

"Stop, please stop," Supergirl pleaded, as she pressed against the crumbling pieces of the dam with all her might. There was an alarm klaxon that sounded on the dam, and Supergirl could hear the panicked shouting of the workers all around her. But she wasn't sure how much they could do. It all rested on her slender shoulders. And the thought of Gotham City being washed away--and it being all her fault--was just too much for Supergirl to bear.

Then Supergirl was startled when she heard a female voice say, "Let it go."

Still holding on, she glanced over her shoulder and saw Storm floating in the air, her snow white hair billowing in the breeze. Barefoot and clad in the gray Cadmus outfit, Storm oddly looked as if she had raced over here directly from an interrupted pajama party.

"Let it go," she told Supergirl once more.

"But the water!" Supergirl said in a panic. As if to emphasize her point, a new jet of water burst forth from the crackling concrete and sprayed her right in the face.

"Supergirl, trust me," Storm said calmly. "Just let go."

Supergirl reluctantly released the shifting plates of concrete, just as Storm raised her hands. Supergirl was stunned to see the black woman's eyes go completely white as the very air around them became chilled enough for frost to come out of their mouths.

When she heard a cracking sound, Supergirl realized what Storm was up to; by chilling the air, she was freezing the exposed water, instantly sealing the cracks in the dam with ice.

Storm lowered her arms, her eyes becoming normal once again, as she let out deep breath. "That should hold it for the time being."

"Can you still see when that happens?" Supergirl asked. "You know, when your eyes go white like that?"

Storm stared at her in shock. "My eyes do that? Really?!"

Supergirl returned her stunned look--until Storm burst into a broad smile. "Gotcha!" she said impishly.

"Oh, man," Supergirl said with a weary grin. "I can't believe I fell for that…."

"It's been a long day," Storm said. "Come on, let's go give the dam's main office the exact location of this break."

**B&B**

Once the explosion had expended its force, Batman got up from his crouched-down position and immediately scanned the area. When he couldn't see the Joker, he switched to infra-red--only to have that be distorted by the fire from the blown up car.

The Batwing flew over head, and Robin's voice came through on the comm: "Good to see you're all right, Batman. I'll make a sweep of the area and see if I can find him."

"If you see the Joker, Robin, don't engage him in combat," Batman told him. "Leave him to me."

"Got it."

Yet Batman felt a sinking sensation as he watched the Batwing fly off; deep down he knew the Clown Prince Of Crime was already long gone. 'At least we stopped him here….'

When he heard a pained grunt, Batman went over to Wolverine, who was getting to his feet while clutching his side.

"Let me see," Batman said, as he pulled apart the shredded fabric of Wolverine's jacket. He saw a shard of metal that stuck out from the side of Wolverine's torso. "We'll need to get you back to the Batcave, pronto."

"No need," Wolverine said. He gritted his teeth as he pulled the shard of metal out of his side. Batman saw blood pour from the wound--then it stopped as the wound quickly sealed itself up. "See? Good as new."

"You really do heal fast," Batman said. "I envy you."

"You've done all right for yourself," Wolverine said with a grin. He glanced over at the Kane Dam. "Is that thing all right? I thought I saw one of the missiles strike it."

"They stopped the leak," Batman said, as he peered through his binoculars. He handed them to Wolverine. "Both Storm and Supergirl. They just flew up into the dam's main office."

Wolverine nodded when four large doors set within both walls of the valley downriver of the dam opened, releasing a deluge of water--which was still small, compared to the unimaginable fury that was almost released on Gotham City. "Yeah, they just opened the drainage canals, now. That'll ease the pressure on the break."

The Batwing reappeared above, and Robin's voice called on the comm: "Sorry Batman. I swept the entire area, but couldn't find any sign of the Joker. If you want, I can do a broader search of the--"

"That's all right, Robin," Batman told him, with a glance at the approaching dawn in the east. "It's getting late, anyway. We should get back home. Put her down here."

"You got it, Batman."

As they watched the Batwing glide in for a landing a hundred feet away, Wolverine reached out with his hand and said, "Batman, it's been a real pleasure."

"The pleasure was all mine, Wolverine. I just wish I had been more successful tonight."

Wolverine gave him an incredulous look. "You're kidding, right?"

"Both Mr. Freeze _and_ the Joker got away," Batman said, sounding irritated. "It's not normally a good night for me when super villains of that caliber are still on the loose."

"But you still stopped the Joker's main plan, here--which would have been a total disaster had it succeeded. Plus you took down Cadmus," Wolverine reminded him. "All within one night, I might add. Some people would consider that a victory."

"In Gotham City, victories of any sort are usually very hard to come by," Batman said. "But you're right. We did win tonight."

"You gonna celebrate?"

"I'm going to take a much-needed break," Batman told him. "Before the hunt begins again."

"That's the spirit." Wolverine flashed a grin. "Wanna get a beer?"

**B&B**

"Damn it," Margaret Preen muttered in frustration. The SWAT commander glanced up and down the street, but there was no sign of the last group of fruit loops that she and her team had just given chase to. "Where'd they go?"

"Commander," Sgt. Travers grimly said, as he pointed at something.

Preen let out a curse when she saw the abandoned warehouse across the street. 'If they ran in there, then they are as good as gone,' she thought, annoyed. 'And this was the very last batch of roving lunatics loose in the city to be rounded up, too. Why is it that the last task should always be the hardest?'

Preen ordered the trucks to be brought up and parked by the front gate, which was open. Then she commanded her SWAT team members to surround the warehouse. It appeared that they would have to search the place room by room until all of the crazies were accounted for.

But Preen's preparations were disturbed by the sound of roaring--of actual, honest to God roaring, like that of a ferocious animal--that came from within the warehouse. Whatever the hell it was, it sounded like a monster, a really big one.

Then, she was shocked to see the band of escapees from Arkham Asylum come running for their lives out of the warehouse. Preen and her people were so caught off guard by this sight that the frightened escapees actually ran right past all of them--

--and straight into one of the SWAT vans.

"TAKE US BACK!" one of them screamed, as they all huddled together in sheer terror. "PLEASE, TAKE US BACK, NOW!"

Preen snapped out of her shock long enough to order her people to properly arrest the escapees by cuffing them. The escapees obediently complied, looking very happy to be in custody.

Preen just shook her head at them. "What the hell were they running from?" she wondered.

A wide-eyed Travers pointed at something behind her. "That!"

Preen turned to see a massive green man emerge from the warehouse. Bare-chested, and clad in just pants, he was clearly five times the size of a regular human male, with huge muscles that bulged with every movement he made.

Preen instantly recognized him. It was the Hulk.

Yet before she and her SWAT team could even respond, the Hulk leapt up into the night air. The leap he made caused him to soar clearly over the next two blocks, well out of their sight.

"Where's he going?" Travers nervously asked.

"Wherever the hell he wants to," Preen replied, grateful that she didn't have to deal with that monster. She then glanced at her team with a slight smile. "Well, it's official, kids: I've now finally seen it all in this job!"

**B&B**

Olivia had just finished changing out of her Huntress outfit and into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt in the changing area when she heard a loud cheer of celebration go up in the Batcave. She stepped out of the changing room and smiled when she saw Alex excitedly come running over to her.

"They did, Liv!" Alex cried, as she and Olivia hugged tightly. "We just got a call from the Batman. They stopped the Joker at the Kane dam!"

"That's great," Olivia replied, as she returned the hug--which felt so good. She never wanted to let Alex go. "Did they catch the Joker?"

Alex's smile faded slightly as she released Olivia. "No. He got away. But you were right, the Joker _was_ going to blow the dam. He managed to fire a missile at it, but Supergirl and Storm prevented any major damage."

"That's great," Olivia said with relief. She glanced down with distain at the drab gray tank top and pants that Alex wore--Olivia hated that outfit; it was a constant reminder of the nightmare that Alex had just been through. "I really wish you'd take that thing off, sweetie. You wear it well, but I hate what it reminds me of."

"Actually, I was thinking maybe you could take it off for me later," Alex said with a wry smile. "When we're alone, in our private suite, upstairs."

"Oh, honey, you read my mind," Olivia said, just before she and Alex shared a passionate kiss. They then went over to the others by the Batcomputer, where Rachel strode up to Olivia and gave her a hug.

"Just wanted to thank you properly for your part in this affair, Olivia," Rachel said. "You went above and beyond the call of duty."

"I just did whatever the Batman told me to do," Olivia said shyly. She felt herself blush at the attention and was grateful that her cell phone rang. Taking it out of her back pocket, Olivia's eyes grew wide when she saw who was calling.

"Is it Jim Gordon?" Rachel asked. "I'm surprised he hasn't called you already."

"No, my people at the SVU are covering for me," Olivia tersely explained. She glanced over at Sam and added, "It's a call from Jack Malone."

Sam looked aghast. "What could _he_ be calling about?"

"Let's find out, shall we?" Olivia said, as she answered the call.

"Liv," Jack said. "I'm on the train right now, coming to Gotham City. I'm coming to get Sam."

"Oh, really?" Olivia replied, her tone growing protective. "And what would you want her for, Jack?"

"Liv, relax, it's all over. We got the traitor in our squad. Martin woke up from the coma and fingered him. And I just got a call from Danny--he's told me they've uncovered loads of evidence that showed not only was the traitor working for Cadmus, but that it was Cadmus that ordered the hit on Sam and Martin, as a way of getting you to come to New York City. They were really after you, Liv, and were using Sam to get to you all along."

"Oh, Jesus," Olivia muttered in horror. "Damn, it really looks like Cadmus was taken down just in time, huh?"

Jack chuckled. "Yeah, they were. And good riddance to the bastards! Look, all charges against Sam have been dropped. Martin also completely cleared her of the assault. So, if you should…you know, be seeing Sam anytime soon, that sort of thing…you might want to give her the good news and tell her that I would like to meet with her sometime tomorrow. Ok?"

Olivia nodded. "I'll call you tomorrow, Jack--say, around nine?"

"Sounds great. You can reach me at this number."

"Talk to you then."

When Olivia ended the call, Sam stared at her with a mixture of dread and anger. "He's coming for me, isn't he?" she asked, speaking in a tense, furious tone. "What, Jack's decided to come here and put the cuffs on me himself? As if it wasn't enough that he's my ex-boyfriend, now he's got to come here and--"

"Sam…hey, Sam, easy," Olivia said, as she gently grabbed her arms. "Jack's not coming to arrest you. It's all over, sweetie. Martin woke up from his coma and cleared you. You're no longer a fugitive, Sam."

Sam stared at her in disbelief for a moment. Then her shoulders slumped as a wave of relief swept over her. "Oh, thank God…."

"Wow, that's great news!" Chloe said.

She, Lana, Alex, Barbra and Kitty all swarmed in for a group hug with Sam, who looked oddly sad, despite the joy that surrounded her. Olivia shared a concerned look with Rachel.

"Congratulations, Agent Spade," Alfred told her.

He shook her hand, and Sam held onto it for so long that it became awkward.

"Is something wrong, dear?" Alfred asked with concern.

"I'm just…." Sam said, her voice breaking with emotion. "I just realized that this is the end. I'm going back home, a-and I-I'm gonna miss all of you so much…."

Sam grabbed a surprised Alfred in a hug as she began to cry against his shoulder.

"Oh, Samantha," Alfred said, as he soothed her. "There, there…."

"She's right, you know," Lana said, as her eyes welled up with tears. "I mean, it's great that Cadmus is history, don't get me wrong…but…."

"There's no longer any need for us to be hanging out together now," Chloe said, as she also began to sob. "It's-it's over! Our little anti-crime girl club is disbanded!"

"Oh, gawd!" Barbra said, as both she and Kitty, who clung to each other, began to bawl their eyes out.

'The anti-crime girl club?' Olivia thought, with a slight frown of puzzlement. 'Didn't even know we had our own name!'

She glanced over and saw even Alex had begun to cry as she comforted Lana. Olivia tried to find something to say--something that would calm everybody down, but now even _she_ felt depressed. During the darkest hours of the Cadmus crisis, all of these people--normally, a group of strangers--had all become a very close family, here. And now that it was over, there was really nothing for them to do but go their separate ways. Olivia almost wished that they could all just stay this way, together, forever.

"Oh, not you, too!" Olivia said, when she saw Rachel was wiping away a tear. "Darn it, Rachel, now you're going to get me going!"

"I think I speak for Master Bruce when I say that all of you will continue to be welcome here at Wane Manor," Alfred told them all, as he hugged a tearful Sam with one arm. "Now, and forever."

"He's right," a voice echoed throughout the Batcave.

They all turned to see Batman stood atop the stairs that led to the Batwing hanger. Robin, Storm, Supergirl and Wolverine stood with him. "Just because the crisis is over doesn't mean we stop being friends," Batman told them. "All of you will indeed be welcome here, anytime. Our door will always be open to you."

There was a moment of content silence--which as broken by Alfred, who said, "Why don't we have a proper celebration of our victory with a meal?"

"Great idea, Alfred," Batman said, as he descended the steps. He removed his cowl. "But there's something very important that I need to do, first. Something I've been meaning to do for the longest time…."

"What is it, Bruce?" Olivia asked.

"This," Bruce replied. He grabbed a surprised Rachel and passionately kissed her on the lips.

While Olivia and the others smiled at this loving scene, Wolverine shot them all an annoyed look. "The anti-crime girl club?" he said, shaking his head in disapproval. "What the hell kind of name is that?"

"The guy named Wolverine is making fun of funny names," Supergirl taunted him. "Now _that's_ funny!"

**B&B**

Nora Fries sat on the edge of her hospital bed, watching the news on the TV. She had been awoken from her sleep by members of the LAPD, who had been sent here in the middle of the night to protect her. They told her that Victor, her husband, was alive and on the loose. The lead detective said they thought she might be at risk. Lucius was with them, and Nora was glad to see his friendly face. The LAPD placed a pair of uniformed cops right outside her door.

Right now, Nora--unable to get back to sleep--sat alone watching the latest about the Cadmus prison that had been uncovered in Indiana. Victor was once locked away deep within its bowels. Yet there was no mention of him now, despite the fact the news anchors kept saying that everyone who had been held captive was released.

Nora slid her feet into slippers and put on a robe. She was being released herself tomorrow, and was returning to Gotham City--yet all she could think about was her husband, the love of her life. She had been told by Lucius that Victor had suffered a terrible accident, one which turned him into an iceman in the literal sense of the word. But she didn't care; all she cared about was his well-being.

'Where are you, Victor?' she anxiously wondered. 'What happened to you?'

Nora paused in her pacing when she had the strange sensation of being watched. She turned and gazed out the windows--

--and received the shock of her life.

A massive white creature hung in front of her windows, staring in right at her. Nora was just about to let out a scream, when the monster abruptly put its hand up in a calming gesture.

Nora's eyes went wide when she saw that, because she had seen that very gesture many times before. Victor would often make that gesture to calm her if he thought she was reacting too hysterically at something. It was a soothing form of shorthand that they'd developed in their relationship--one of many private gestures that they had for just each other.

'But how did this creature--?'

That question died within her mind as Nora took a tentative step towards the monster, which she now saw was covered from head to toe in ice. It raised a hand to the helmet of ice that covered its head and sheared off the front portion, revealing the bare face of a man.

A face that had tears of joy streaming down its cheeks.

A face that Nora instantly recognized.

The creature whom she recognized as being once her husband reached out for her. It placed an icy palm against the glass of the window. He said something--Nora easily read his lips.

He had tenderly spoken her name.

Nora placed her hand on the opposite side of the glass, right on top of his massive, icy palm.

"Victor?" she whispered, stunned.

**B&B**

'Way to go, Bruce,' Lucius thought with admiration.

He had been on his way back to Nora Fries' hospital room when the television set in the waiting lounge had caught his attention. There were a group of people--both hospital staff and visitors--who stood or sat staring intently at the TV. Lucius saw the news was all about the Cadmus meta prison, and how the Batman had spearheaded the attack against the installation.

He was caught up in one story, the joyous reunion of the Power family, when Lucius was startled out of watching TV by a loud, soul-rendering scream that came from down the hall.

He was further shocked when he realized that he knew the voice that made that scream. It was Nora.

Lucius ran down the hallway as fast as he could, with several nurses and orderlies hot on his tail. When he reached Nora's room, he saw her LAPD bodyguards were already inside, sweeping the room with their guns held out. But Lucius was horrified to see that Nora wasn't there. He was about to call out her name--until the sound of crying had caught his attention.

Lucius walked around the bed and found Nora huddled on the floor, weeping into her hands.

"Nora?" Lucius said, taking the crying woman into his arms. "What is it? What's wrong?"

One of the nurses bent down and did a quick examination. "She seems ok."

"Victor," Nora said, as she continued crying. "Oh, God, Victor…."

"What about him?" Lucius gently asked. "What about Victor, Nora?"

"He's gone," Nora sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder. "My Victor is gone…."

One of the cops pointed at the window. "Oh…my…God…"

When Lucius glanced up at the window, what he saw there made his eyes grow wide.

The entire window had been frozen over with ice, except for a thin block of spaces that spelled out a message.

"My Nora," it read, "I will love you always, V."

**B&B**

"Thank you so much for this, Liv."

"Don't mention it, Sam," Olivia replied, as she pulled into her parking spot at the Gotham City Police Headquarters. She stifled a yawn just after turning the car off. "Excuse me."

Sam smiled at her. "Didn't get much sleep, either, huh? And despite the fact that you and Alex had even went to bed, unlike the rest of us!"

"Hum," Olivia said, as she chuckled in spite of herself. "Yeah, well, we still didn't get much sleep."

"Oooo," Sam said with a grin. Then her grin faded as she glanced down at her clothes. "Hey, Liv, how do I look?"

"Sam, you look fine," Olivia told her. "And that's the third time you've asked me that question. Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"Yes," she replied, nervously brushing her jacket.

"Because we don't really have to do this right now, if you don't want to," Olivia said. "You didn't get much sleep, either. Like everbody else at Wayne Manor, you've been up the whole night."

"The meal Alfred made for all of us helped," Sam said, as she patted her stomach. "I feel better. I may need to take a nap, later, but I'm good to go right now. I just want to get this over with."

"Are you leaving with Jack right away? Are you going back home today?"

Sam made a face at that idea. "This may sound crazy--especially after everything I've been through--but lately I've come to think of Gotham City as being my home."

"Oh, Sam, are you thinking of staying here?" Olivia asked, surprised.

"I'm thinking about making a fresh start, maybe even leaving the FBI," Sam admitted. "And I figure, Gotham City's as good a place as any."

"That's great, sweetie!" Olivia said, as they got in the elevator and rode it down to the central plaza. "You know what you're going to do for work? Maybe you can tranfer to the FBI office, here."

"I don't know," Sam said thoughtfully. "I'll see how it goes."

"Gotham City PD is always looking for a good detective," Olivia said with a smile. "I'd get you in on the SVU, but my motley crew is already so filled to the gills with more than enough members that Gordon's liable to bust me down to the traffic division if I try and hire somebody else right now. But I'll still be glad to put in a good word for you with Gordon."

"Thanks, Liv," Sam said, as they emerged from the elevator and onto the sprawling floor of the main lobby of Gotham City Police Headquarters. She reached out and affectionately squeezed Olivia's arm. "I mean that. Thanks so much for everything you've done for me."

"Anytime, Sam," Olivia told her. She gestured at Commissioner Gordon, who stood with Jack Malone just ahead of them amid the bustling public hall that served as the lobby for police headquarters--which was right where they'd all agreed to meet. "There they are."

**B&B**

'There she is!' Eddie thought excitedly.

As he stood in the main lobby of police headquarters, trying to figure out how he could inside the building, he just couldn't believe his luck. Eddie originally thought he would have to somehow infiltrate the building and look through each and every office until he came across Benson. But, instead, she was right there!

He started to giggle maniacally as he strode over to her, the gun in his hand. The Joker will be so proud of him!

As he ran up to Benson, who momentarily stared at him in surprise, Eddie kept giggling wildly as he pointed the gun right at her.

"Die, Batman's Buddy, die!"

**To be concluded in the next, and final, chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15

_My thanks to Zarathustra1030 and RebelByrdie for their comments, as always. Thanks, guys.  
_

**Batman & Benson 5**

**Chapter Fifteen**

"GUN!" Sam screamed, as she tackled the little giggling man.

The little bastard was so close that Sam didn't even had time to pull her own weapon. She just grabbed the man's hands--which clutched an old .38 revolver--and pulled them upwards. The single shot he managed to get off went harmlessly into the ceiling.

'I really hope that ceiling's very thick,' Sam thought, as she stomped on the man's foot in an effort to get him to release the gun.

Yet the crazy son of a bitch was still giggling madly, sounding like a hyena high on helium, as Sam continued to struggle to wrest the gun out of his hands. Olivia came up from behind him and locked her arm around his neck in a head lock. While she and Sam continued to fight with the giggling man, several uniformed police officers arrived to offer help, and between all of them, they finally disarmed him.

"Batman's Buddy," the giggling man said, leering at Olivia, as his wrists were being cuffed behind his back, "the Joker says hi!"

He was still giggling insanely as they quickly hauled him off. As the crowds around them all recovered from the commotion, both Sam and Olivia just stared at each other, stunned.

"Are you all right?" Sam asked.

Olivia was pale, and looked visibly shaken. But she nodded and gave Sam a grateful smile. "I am, thanks to you."

"You would have done the same," Sam told her.

They turned to see Commissioner Gordon and Jack had come over. Both men looked just as stunned as Sam felt. Gordon went directly over to Olivia and asked if she were all right.

"I'm fine," she insisted. "No, really, sir, I'm fine."

"Who was he?" Gordon asked.

"I don't know him personally, but he just told us: 'the Joker says hi,'" Olivia flatly replied.

"That green-haired son of a bitch," Gordon said, shaking his head.

"Sam," Jack said, looking both relieved and amazed at the same time. "Are you ok?"

"Yes, Jack, I'm fine," Sam said, as she gave him an embrace. "It's good to see you again."

"Oh, you have no idea how good it is to see _you_!" Jack replied. As he released her from the hug, his fingers briefly touched the bandage on the back of Sam's neck. "What's this? What happened here?"

"That was courtesy of a Cadmus torture device--but don't worry," she quickly added, "it's been removed for me by a little girl who can walk through walls."

Jack stared at her with amazement. "You sound like you've certainly had an interesting time here in Gotham City."

"Oh, _you_ have no idea," Sam said thoughtfully. "In fact, I'm actually thinking of staying."

Jack's eyebrows raised. "You serious?"

"Yeah," Sam said with a firm nod. As insane an idea as it sounded--especially after what they'd just been through right now--Sam had fallen madly in love with this crazy, vibrant city, and she very much wanted to continue be a part of it. "I am, Jack."

"If that's the case, Ms. Spade," Gordon said, handing her a business card, "then perhaps you'll be needing a new job? I saw how you tackled that lunatic, saving the life of a woman who's one of my most valued inspectors, as well as a good friend, and I must say I'm very impressed. There's a detective opening for you with the Major Case Squad, should you want it."

Sam did some quick calculating--a job with the GCPD would pay less than her old FBI gig, but the pay decrease was nothing that she couldn't handle. Besides, working as a cop here in Gotham City would certainly be just as challenging--if not more--than her old job.

She nodded, smiling. "Thank you, sir. I accept. Shall I give you a call later?"

Gordon grinned, looking pleased. "That sounds great, Agent Spade--um, actually, I should now call you Detective Spade. Talk to you later."

"Right now," Sam said, turning to a very confused looking Jack, "we really need to talk."

"There's a café right over there," Olivia said, pointing. "They serve a mean coffee and have some great pastries and muffins."

"Shall we?" Jack said.

"Let's. Talk to you later, Liv."

"Stop by my office later, Sam," Olivia called. "And welcome to the team!"

Sam chuckled as she and Jack walked over to the café. Then she grew serious when she saw the crestfallen look on Jack's face. "Jack, please understand, this decision has absolutely nothing to do with you."

"I feel like it does," he admitted, as they stopped walking. "I can't help but blame myself for this entire mess. It's bad enough I'm losing Martin, but now you, too?"

"It's not your fault, Jack. Please don't blame yourself," she told him. "How is Martin, anyway? Olivia told me that he woke up and cleared me."

Jack nodded. "He's doing much better--despite the withdrawal symptoms he's suffering now. He got addicted to the pain killers he took after he got shot. Cadmus found out and held it over him, forcing him to work for them."

"But there were some things he just wouldn't do," Sam said, as she recalled his valiant effort to fight the Enforcers that fateful night. "If Martin needs a character witness, either for the trial, or with the OPR, please let me know, Jack. I'd like to speak in his favor."

"I will. Considering the circumstances or how Cadmus roped him in, Martin may just only face losing his job, anyway." Jack stared at her contemplatively. "You know, I can understand you wanting a change, Sam. But of all the places for you to choose to work, it has to be Gotham City? This insane place? This is like the wild West! Liv almost got shot right here, in the main lobby of police headquarters!"

Sam shrugged. "It's just another day in Gotham City."

Jack just smiled at her. "Spoken like a true Gothamite. C'mon, let's get some coffee."

"With pleasure," she said.

They walked to the café arm in arm.

**B&B**

Sgt. Gene Dennison made certain that the chaos which erupted in the main lobby was over before he took his seat at the central desk. Gene was one in a long row of officers who dealt with a never-ending line of people who came in person seeking help from the police. But the last thing that Gene had expected when he reported for work today was gunfire. Which was ironic, since he took this desk job as a promise to his wife Margie, just so he could avoid this kind of thing.

"Amazing, huh?" Gene said to Alisha Reynolds, who sat at the desk next to him. "You come here for a regular day's work, only to wind up in a war zone!"

The black woman shook her head in disbelief. "It's crazy! If you're not safe in the main lobby of police headquarters, then where are you safe?" She held up several sheets of papers. "By the way, Gene, take one of these."

"What are these?" Gene asked. He saw that they were wanted photos of a group of people.

"They're Cadmus agents who're still on the lam in this area," Alisha said. "The FBI just released that list this morning. Keep it by your side while you work today."

"Sure," Gene said with laugh. "But, do they seriously expect these guys to just walk in here on their own?"

Alisha shrugged. "Hey, I just do what they tell me…."

Gene sat down and gestured for an attractive young woman in a business suit who had waited patiently to come up to the desk. When she did, Gene asked, in his best, professional tone: "And how may we help you, today, ma'am?"

"My name is Roslyn Clemmons," she said calmly. "I am a Cadmus agent, and I would like to turn myself in."

Gene just stared at her, dumbfounded, for a moment. When he heard a hissing sound, he glanced over at Alisha, who pointed out the Clemmons woman's picture on the FBI most wanted sheet.

"It's her!" she urgently whispered. "Gene, that's _her_ standing right there!"

"Um, uh, could you please uh, just wait there, Ms. Clemmons?" Gene nervously told her.

Clemmons looked somewhat bemused by their reaction. "Don't worry; I'm not going anywhere."

"Uh, yeah, that's good," Gene said, as he stood up and waved for Lieutenant Grimes, the front desk commander, to come over.

"This is really turning out to be an eventful day," Alisha said. "First gunfire, then a Cadmus agent turning herself in; what's next? Will Godzilla come crashing through the walls?"

"No, don't say that!" Gene told her, with a worried look at the walls. "With the way this weird day's been going so far, Alisha, you never can tell!"

**B&B**

Alfred was on his way to the Batcave, to try and persuade Master Bruce to get some sleep, when he paused for a moment in the hallway. Something felt wrong to the butler; something seemed out of place. Then he realized what it was: Wayne Manor appeared so quiet, so still.

Logan, Kitty and Ms. Monroe had returned to the X-Men Mansion in Upstate New York, while Alfred had just bid farewell not five minutes ago to Lana, Chloe and Kara, who returned to Metropolis. Dick and Barbra were asleep in their respective beds--as was Alex--while Rachel, Olivia and Samantha were presently in the city.

And the Manor house now felt as quiet and solemn as an empty nest whose little birds had all flown away. While Alfred realized full well that the family--the extended Batman family whom he had come to know and love--were still here, he'd found himself missing the rest of the flock, as it were. Alfred smiled at the memory of how Ms. Kitty would run all over the Mansion, using it as her own private playground. One time Alfred had caught Barbra playing right along with Kitty--which was especially funny, since Barbra had always prided herself on being too mature to play such "childish" games. The mortified look Barbra had at being caught was priceless.

'Still, the Cadmus crisis is over,' Alfred reminded himself. 'The fact that everyone has left meant it is now once more safe for them to return to their homes.'

When he entered the Batcave, Alfred saw Master Bruce just where he'd expected him: seated at the Batcomputer, intently watching a brand new video from the Joker, who stared down at the camera he'd held in his hands as if it had been very naughty.

"Batman…my dear Batman," the Joker said, with a tinge of regret in his voice. "You know me _so_ well, don't you? You knew exactly what my plans were for the Robert Kane Dam--and there you were, spoiling my fun as always."

He shifted the camera, so that it revealed him holding a small metal box in one hand. "It appears, for when next we meet, I must strive to think 'out of the box.'"

With that, the lid on the box popped open, and a Jack-in-the-box head popped up on a wire spring. It was a cartoonish rendition of Batman's cowl on a clown's face. The Joker then began to laugh in that braying manner which Alfred found so reprehensible. Laughter was normally a wonderful sound for him to hear--yet leave it to the Joker to pervert it into nothing more than horrid, frightening noise.

"Hello, Alfred," Master Bruce said, as he paused the video. "Olivia was just attacked at police headquarters by a man with a gun. Liv's fine; she wasn't hurt. The man is in police custody. The Joker sent him to kill her."

"Dear God, sir!" Alfred said, appalled. "Have you spoken with Olivia?"

"Not yet," Bruce said, as he studied the Joker's face on the main monitor. "But I plan to give her a call very shortly."

'So much for trying to get him to get some rest,' Alfred thought with resignation. "Shall I brew some tea, or perhaps make a meal for you, sir? Since it appears that you will now be up for a good while…."

"On the contrary, Alfred," Master Bruce said, after he switched off the Joker's face. "After I call Liv, I'll be turning in."

While Alfred was pleased to hear that, he was still surprised. "Indeed, sir? One would think, with the Joker having returned, that you would be working overtime."

"Oh, I will be, Alfred, trust me," Master Bruce assured him. He turned towards the empty screen, where the Joker's leering face was and added, "It's just that there's now a cease-fire in the war. What he said in this latest video, plus the fact that he didn't go after Liv himself--it all tells me the Joker will be laying low for a while. I can afford to get some sleep in the meantime. Besides, it's been a very long night."

Alfred nodded. "A very good idea, sir."

Yet as he got up from his seat, Master Bruce paused to stare at one of the small screens, which showed a TV news montage of various superheroes all helping out during the Arkham Asylum crisis in Gotham City. He switched the image to the main screen and watched as Iron Man and Steel subdued a riot of Arkham escapees; Wonder Woman and the Martian Manhunter put out the fire from an explosion, and then caught the people who started it; Superman worked with Captain Marvel to prevent a train colliding with a bus; Green Arrow and the Black Canary protecting a hospital from an oncoming mob of Arkham prisoners; The Flash, along with Hawkman and Hawkgirl, overseeing the calm evacuation of a fire-damaged building, and there was even footage of Supergirl and Storm, taken from security cameras at the Robert Kane Dam, as they worked furiously to stop the dam from bursting.

Alfred's heart swelled with awe and wonder at the sight of these people, working so hard to protect a city that many of them didn't even live in, and with some of them, like Superman and Storm, still clad in just their Cadmus prisoner outfits. "For a brief, shining moment," he said, inspired, "the Justice League had returned in all of its glory…."

"It doesn't have to be a momentary thing," Master Bruce said thoughtfully.

"Excuse me, Master Bruce, but what do you mean?"

"I mean, I'd like for you to set up a party, Alfred," he replied. "Here, at Wayne Manor."

"Very good, sir. Whom shall we invite?"

"Everyone you just saw there," Master Bruce pointed at the screen. "I want all of the superheroes who helped Gotham City in her greatest need gathered here for a party, Alfred. Invite them all."

"Sounds like it will be quite an interesting party, sir."

Master Bruce just smiled at him. "I'm hoping it will be, Alfred. And, with any luck, it'll help to get the Justice League back together."

**B&B**

"Brace yourself," Gordon told Olivia, as they rode up in the elevator. "The SVU will probably be a mad house over the attempt on your life."

"Oh, I doubt that word even got to them, yet," Olivia said with a wave of her hand.

Yet once they stepped of the elevator, Linda looked right over at Olivia and exclaimed, "OH MY GOD! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?!"

Olivia was stunned as every person in the SVU dropped what they were doing and came running over to her. They all urgently asked if she was all right at the same time, creating a wall of noise that threatened to overwhelm Olivia. She glanced wide-eyed at Gordon, who just gave her a 'I told you so' smile.

However, as taken aback as she was by this scene, Olivia was also profoundly moved by it. These people were members of the squad that she commanded, and it was clear that they all cared as deeply for her as she did for them. It was only after Olivia assured them that she was fine that they let her and Gordon go to her office.

"You should be pleased," Gordon told her, as Olivia wearily sat at her desk, "it's not too many police commanders who earn the kind of love and respect that you do, Liv."

"Oh, I'm thankful every day for that bunch out there," Olivia said, as she gestured gratefully at the people in her squad. "Not just for me, but for Gotham City's sake, as well."

"It's great that you've assembled such a marvelous team, because you're gonna need them in the coming days," Gordon grimly said, as he produced a list from his jacket pocket. "Have you seen this? It's the official list of the Arkham Asylum escapees who're still on the lam."

"Oh, crap," Olivia muttered, as she read the list of names of those who were never recaptured. The Mad Hatter, Mr. Zsasz, King Tut, Firefly, The Ventriloquist, Two-Face, The Scarecrow, Killer Kroc, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. All were presently unaccounted for and presumed to be still out there, somewhere. With the exception of Two-Face and Harley, Olivia had never had to deal with most of the people mentioned on this list…until now.

"Don't forget that, on top of the people mentioned here, we've still got the Joker to worry about, as well," Olivia somberly reminded Gordon.

But Gordon wasn't paying attention to her. Instead he stared in shock at something right behind Olivia. When Olivia turned, she saw something that made her gape in astonishment, as well.

It was Wonder Woman.

The Amazonian Princess stepped out from behind the side door in Olivia's office and walked around so that she faced Olivia, who still sat in shock at her desk. "Hello Inspector Benson, Commissioner Gordon," she said, with a nod at them both. "I would just like to apologize for my actions when I was last in this office."

After she and Gordon stared at her in silence for a moment, Olivia stood up and held out her hand. "Very well. Apology accepted. Thank you."

"No, Inspector, thank you," Wonder Woman said, as she shook Olivia's hand. Her smile was both brilliant and sincere.

"Does this mean you're coming back?" Olivia hopefully asked her. "Because, after some of the stuff we've been through, lately, the world could sure use your help."

Before Wonder Woman could answer, Linda stepped into the office with some files in her hands. She took one look at Wonder Woman, then turned around and ran back out to the bullpen in a panic. "SHE'S BACK! WONDER WOMAN'S BACK!!! AND SHE'S GOT LIV!"

"Linda, no, wait!" Olivia cried, as she came around the desk. When she heard the stampede of feet all rushing towards her door, Olivia knew there was only one thing for her to do.

She stood in front of Wonder Woman, placing her body as a human shield between the Amazonian and her squad members, who all entered her office with their guns drawn.

"It's all right!" Gordon shouted at them, as he waved his hands. "Everybody calm down and lower your weapons, now! It's ok."

Olivia was surprised to see John Jones had a slight smile of recognition on his face when he saw Wonder Woman. When she smiled back at him in greeting, Olivia realized that she knew who he really was. John stepped out in front of his fellow detectives and helped Gordon to calm them down.

"She's here to apologize for last time," Olivia told her people. She was bemused to see that Katie didn't look as if she bought it--yet she still holstered her gun. "It's ok. There's nothing to worry about."

Olivia cursed when her cell rang. When she glanced at the screen, she saw it was Bruce. 'Oh, great, I've got Wonder Woman in my office and Batman on my phone--just another day at work!'

She excused herself and took the call. "Are you all right, Sis?" Bruce asked with concern. "I heard about the attack."

"I'm fine, thanks," she replied, smiling. "Um, I can't talk--I've got Wonder Woman here right now. She's apologizing for what she did here the last time she stopped by--what a sweetheart, huh?"

"That's great news, Sis! I was wondering if you'd ask her something for me."

When Olivia listened to what he said next, her eyes grew wide with amazement. "Oh, that's a great idea. Yeah, sure thing, I'll ask her now!"

Olivia went over to Wonder Woman, who was busy giving an amazed Gordon a diamond.

"I assume that should cover the expenses for the damage I caused here last time," the Amazonian said. "It's from where I live on Paradise Island."

"Um, yeah, this should do it," Gordon said, stunned. He peered at the diamond as the SVU detectives crowded around and ooo-ed and ahhh-ed over the glittering stone. "Hell, we could probably build another police headquarters with the funding from this thing…."

"Could I speak with you in private?" Olivia asked Wonder Woman. When they were alone in the far corner of the room, Olivia whispered, "You think you might like to attend a party?"

"Yes," Wonder Woman said with a bright smile, "I would love to."

**B&B**

When Alex got the call from Rachel, she quickly got dressed and started to leave Wayne Manor--until she ran into Alfred, who told her about the attack on Liv. As she drove to the city, Alex called Olivia and was relieved to not only find out that she was all right, but that Wonder Woman was there. She arrived at Police Headquarters and went straight up to the SVU, where she found Olivia gaily conversing with Wonder Woman, who was signing autographs for some of the detectives. Gordon was on the phone to the mayor.

"Yes, Mr. Mayor, we can now finally hire those additional police officers, as well as bulletproof vests, and several other goodies," Gordon said, as he stared at a diamond in his hand. "Oh, trust me, sir. We've got the money. I'll show you later…."

"Hiya babe," Olivia said, as she hugged Alex. "Have you met Wonder Woman?"

"Hello," Alex said, as she shook the Amazonian Princess' hand. It was a pleasant surprise for Alex to meet with her so calmly like this.

"Excuse me, Wonder Woman?" John Jones said, as he brought Kate over. "This is my partner, Kate. Katie, meet Wonder Woman."

"We met last night," Kate said to Wonder Woman. "You were with the Hulk, remember?"

Both the Amazonian Princess and John Jones appeared to have stifled a laugh at that. "Um, yes, I recall that," Wonder Woman said, as she held out her hand. "No hard feelings, Kate?"

"Not as long as you behave yourself," Kate said, smiling, as she shook Wonder Woman's hand.

"You truly are a superhero magnet," Alex lovingly told Olivia. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"For the one hundredth time, sweetie, I'm fine," Olivia replied, smiling.

"Good, then you can come with me," Alex said.

"Where?"

"To the interoggation rooms. Rachel called me, and told me that _she_ was here, Liv. Can you believe it, she just walked up to the front desk downstairs and turned herself in!"

"Who?!"

"The woman who helped save my life."

When Alex arrived in the observation room with Olivia, Rachel was there, intensely watching the interrogation in the next room. "Jesus, Olivia," Rachel anxiously said. "I just heard what happened! Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, thanks to Sam. She stopped the bastard in time."

Alex peered through the two way mirror at Roslyn Clemmons, who sat calmly at the table, intently discussing something with a pair of US Marshalls.

"She just turned herself in at the front desk," Rachel told Olivia and Alex. "When they took her in, she handed over her gun and ID and stated that she wanted to testify against Cadmus."

"Those guys in there with her, they're Marshalls," Alex commented.

Rachel nodded. "The Attorney General has announced that the Justice Department will be prosecuting the Cadmus case. She, along with Leslie Curnow, will be handed over to the feds."

"Don't tell me Curnow's turned against Cadmus, as well?" Olivia asked.

Rachel shook her head. "She's still giving everybody just her name, rank and serial number--like she's a damn prisoner of war, or something."

"A moron to the bitter end," Olivia muttered with a shake of her head.

"Do they know that she helped me?" Alex asked, concerned at how the feds will be treating Clemmons. "She went against orders to save me from choking to death!"

"They know, Alex, believe me, I told them," Rachel soothed her. "Clemmons is being treated like the extremely valuable witness that she is. She's going into Witness Protection."

When Alex saw the Marshalls get up and leave Clemmons alone in the room, she said, "I'd like to speak with her."

Alex entered the interoggation room with a mixture of awe and gratitude for the woman seated at the table. For her part, when Clemmons saw Alex, her expression became one of relief. "I was wondering about you, Ms. Cabot. Ms. Dawes told me that you were doing well."

"I am," Alex replied. "How are they treating you?"

"Much better than I treated _you_," Clemmon said. And then she burst into tears. "I-I'm so sorry…."

Alex sat down beside the woman and held her hands. "You were the only one there--the only Cadmus agent--who cared about me, Roslyn. You were never truly _with_ Cadmus, you were never really one of them. And by coming forward like this, and helping us to drive the final nail into Cadmus' coffin, you've more than atoned for whatever guilt you may feel."

Clemmons nodded, as she wiped her tears. "Thank you."

Olivia entered the room, and handed a box of tissues to Clemmons. "I just needed to thank you, personally, for what you've done. There have been a lot a heroes in this affair, and you were one of them."

"Take care of yourself," Alex told Clemmons. "And if you ever need anything--anything at all--contact me through my office."

They left and rode back down to Olivia's office in the elevator. Alex was surprised when Olivia abruptly grabbed her and hugged her tightly. "Not that I mind," she said, "but what's this for, my love?"

"I'm just so glad that you're here, alive and well, with me," Olivia said.

"Believe me, I feel the same way," Alex replied. "After hearing you almost got shot this morning!"

"But you took the greatest risk out of all of us," Olivia told her. "You willingly gave yourself up to Cadmus, and by enduring that hell, you allowed us to find their base. I told Clemmons that she was one of many heroes in this, Alex. And she is. But you were the biggest hero of them all."

Alex was too touched to even speak, and so she did the next best thing. She tightly hugged her best friend and lover. They continued to hug until they heard someone clearing their throat.

They looked to see that the elevator had stopped, and a mousy-looking man who stared at them wide-eyed behind his glasses. "Uh, excuse me, I'll wait for the next one…."

"No need," Olivia told him, as she and a smiling Alex left the elevator, "this is our stop, anyway."

"You think we just made his day?" Alex asked, as they strode down the hallway.

"Either that, or maybe he's hoping that he might get lucky in that elevator, too," Olivia shot back.

Their laughter echoed down the hallway.

**B&B**

"Hail the conquering heroes, baby!" Frohike shouted, as he held up a bottle of beer. "Cheers!"

Langy, Beyers and Mulder followed suit, and even Dana finally raised her beer bottle and joined in on the toast. She'd originally didn't want to stop by the Lone Gunmen's place because she was too exhausted from having just returned with Mulder from Indiana. But now the boys' party mood was infectious, and it was so rare that they scored a major victory like this that it only made sense to celebrate.

'Still, how long will be it before the next conspiracy rears it's ugly head?' Dana gloomily thought. 'Fighting these conspiracies was like cutting off only part of a malicious plant, while the rest continued to grow to be a future problem.'

"You ok, Scully?" Mulder asked her with concern.

Not wanting to mar the mood, Dana said, "Just tired, that's all."

"We'll stay for a bit more, then pack it in," he told her. "But don't tell me that you're not savoring the moment."

Dana smiled at him. "Whenever I'm with you, Mulder, I always savor the moment."

Mulder smiled back. He was about to reply when there was a loud buzzing sound.

"The pizza's here!" an overjoyed Langly said. "Now this can be a real party!"

"I thought all it took was beer for a real party," Mulder jokingly said.

"You get to get out more often, Mulder, because the best--" Frohike started to say, when the sight of something caused him to stop talking.

"Look who's here," Langly said, as he entered with The Question.

Although Dana knew he was a valuable ally--and had welcomed his assistance--she was still unsettled by the sight of the masked man, whose very presence creeped her out.

"Hey, you here to celebrate the demise of Cadmus?" Beyers asked.

"No," The Question sharply replied. "Because it's not over, yet."

He placed a large package on the table, and when Dana got up from her chair to examine it, she saw it contained computer disks, files and various papers. "What's all this?" she asked.

"Evidence," The Question replied.

"We've already got all the evidence we need to indict Hardcastle and his people," Mulder said. "But we'll gladly take more. Thanks."

"It's evidence that not only implicates Hardcastle, but also Hardcastle's masters within the government," The Question said. "Including the President, and many members of Congress, with Senator Longfellow being chief among them. They all knew about the inner workings of Cadmus, as well as the location of the secret prison--despite their public claims to the contrary."

Mulder and the Lone Gunmen all stood in shocked silence, until Dana spoke. "Senator Longfellow is the head of the Ways And Means Committee in Congress. He's one of the most powerful senators around."

"I have a video of Longfellow, along with the President, and several other prominent senators, in a secret meeting with General Hardcastle where they discuss what to do with the dead bodies of the metas once the Cadmus prison was through experimenting on them," The Question told her. "It's all there, Agent Scully, everything you need to cut the head off of the serpent."

"Oh, whoa," Frohike said in awe.

"You know, I'm afraid to ask where you got this," Mulder said to The Question. "So I won't. But you've got to know that, once we go public with this, a lot of very powerful people will be very angry. And they won't rest until they find you."

The Question pointed to the blank slate that was his face. "Now you see why I always wear this mask, Agent Mulder. Good hunting."

As Dana watched him leave, she realized that she was wrong to be creeped out by The Question. Because, in his own strange way, he was fighting the very same fight that they were.

"Oh, my God," Frohike exclaimed, as he sifted through some of the tapes from the package, "these are audio recordings direct from the Oval Office!"

"You know, Mulder, if we proceed with this, we could cause some serious damage within our government," Dana warned. "The likes of which hasn't been seen in almost forty years."

He just smiled at her. "The truth always causes damage to the guilty, Scully. And the pursuit of the truth has never stopped us before."

Dana smiled back at him, reinvigorated. It looked like that malicious plant will be completely slain once and for all this time. "In that case, Mulder, let the hunt begin…."

**B&B**

_~ One week later ~_

Logan strode through Wayne Manor with a pleased expression on his face. It was great to be back here, and enjoying the place and people amid a friendly atmosphere. Not that it was unfriendly here before, but they were all so busy dealing with the Cadmus crisis that the more fun stuff--like this party--were put on hold. Most of Logan's comrades in the X-Men were here, including Kitty, who gave Alfred a big hug the moment she first saw him.

When Logan saw Alfred serving drinks to Kitty and a large group of wildly chattering girls, he smiled.

"Hey, Alfred," he said, as the butler walked past, "bet you're not used to all the noise, huh?"

"Wonderful, isn't it?" Alfred said with a broad smile and sincere gratitude.

Logan just grinned after the butler, until Bobby Drake strode past him with a pair of drinks in both hands. He was looking particularly chipper--then he saw something that made him stop dead in his tracks.

Logan saw it too. Anna Marie, aka Rogue, sat chatting with Remy, her on-again off-again love. And from the animated way that she spoke to Gambit, and the familiar way that she touched him, it looked like that torrid little affair was on once more. Bobby placed one of the drinks on a table and turned away from this scene with a disgusted look on his face.

'I know how you feel, kid,' Logan thought, as he watched Jean Grey and Scott Summers sitting together, enjoying an intimate moment in a love seat, of all things. 'Believe me, I know exactly how you feel!'

"No, you're wrong!" a girl cried.

"No…_you're_ wrong!" another young female voice shouted back.

Logan saw a group of girls--who included Barbra Gordon, Kara, Kitty and Megan, whose Pixie wings were left exposed by her dress--were engaged in some sort of heated debate in another part of the room. It was being watched over by Samantha Spade, who leaned against the wall, trying her best to hide her bemused smile.

Logan came over and leaned against the wall next to Sam. Barefoot, she wore beige slacks and a matching color sweater that offset her blond hair very nicely. She smiled broadly at the vigorous debate among the girls, who each had a very strong opinion over which man would be better for somebody called Bella.

After listening to the impassioned argument in confusion for a moment, Logan turned to Sam and asked, "Just who the _hell_ are Edward, Jacob and Bella, anyway?"

Sam burst into giggles. "I don't suppose you've ever read a book called Twilight, huh?"

"It's not exactly on my preferred reading list," Logan replied, as he gazed meaningfully at Samantha. "You know, you're a very beautiful woman."

Her face flushed at that as she shifted her position against the wall. Logan noted that she had moved closer towards him. "I actually bought shoes, just for this evening," she said, sounding sheepish. "But they hurt my feet. And when I saw that Rachel was going barefoot tonight, I figured…you know, what the hell…I might as well do the same…right?"

All while she spoke, Logan had been moving ever so closer to Sam, to her face. And, just as Sam stopped speaking, and her lips almost touched his--

"Oh, gawd!"

With an annoyed grunt, Logan looked over and saw that the girls had all stopped their rabid debate to gawk at them.

"Excuse us, ladies," Logan told them, as Sam led him out of the room by the hand.

"I'm gonna show him my new shoes," Sam explained.

"Yeah," Logan said with a smile to the girls, who stared back at him in shock. "She's just gonna show me her new shoes…."

When they got to Sam's suite upstairs, Logan nodded in approval. "Nice digs."

"I'm just staying here until I get my new apartment set up in Gotham City," Sam replied, as she closed the door.

"I can't believe you're actually going to work as a cop in this crazy city," Logan said with admiration.

"A detective with the GCPD Major Case Squad," Sam said, as she proudly held up her new badge. "I start this Monday."

As he gently embraced Sam within his muscular arms once more, Logan murmured, "With you on the streets, God help the bad guys in Gotham."

She let out a moan as he nuzzled the side of her neck. Sam then moaned again in pleasure when Logan's lips finally met her own.

And that was when the fun really began.

**B&B**

"I mean, I just don't believe this!" Tony Stark said. "Here I was, speaking with Bruce, and he never let on that he was the Batman…not once!"

Olivia just nodded at him. She had been mingling at the party, chatting with various people, when Tony Stark abruptly cornered her and started babbling at how amazed he was that the quiet and reserved Bruce Wayne was really the Batman.

"You were there," Stark told her. "That was when I first met you, remember?"

'How could I forget?' Olivia thought with annoyance. 'You were practically slobbering all over me….' Yet she just nodded and politely said, "Yes, I remember."

Stark then leaned into her and added, "Um, I also recall Bruce saying that you were spoken for. And I was just wondering if that was still the case now?"

"Very much so," Olivia sternly replied, as Alex walked over to them. "I'm still spoken for."

"She's very _loudly_ spoken for," Alex said, as she embraced Olivia.

Stark's eyes grew wide as he backed off, in every sense of the term. He held his hand up and said, "I see. Good for you, Olivia--good for you both!"

Stark held up his drink to them in an impromptu toast as he walked away--which caused Olivia to roll her eyes.

"I don't care if he's Iron Man," Alex angrily said. "If he comes near you again, I'm kicking him in the crotch."

"Whoa, Alex, easy there, girl," Olivia said, as she comforted her lover with a hug. "I'm with you, remember? I'll always be with you."

Alex nodded. "I know. But it's bad enough that Logan was asking if you're available, but now Tony Stark, the tin-plated wind-up toy, starts in with his 'cute' little load of bullsh--"

"Hold on," Olivia said, stunned. "Logan was interested in me? _Logan_? Are you serious?!"

"Yes! And he asked _me_, of all people, if you were available! It's enough to make a girl feel really bad--and angry!"

"Aww, my poor baby," Olivia said. She rubbed Alex's back as they held each other tightly. "You know that they're the ones who should feel bad, because you're the one who has me all to yourself."

"I know," Alex replied contently.

Rachel came up to them with a plate of food--then stopped and said, "Huh, no, you two don't look like you really need hors d'oeuvres right now…."

She then turned and walked into the main room with the tray of food.

"Maybe we should go and see if she and Alfred need any help," Olivia said.

"Great idea," Alex replied, as they walked after Rachel. "Where's Bruce, by the way? I haven't seen him in a while."

"He's busy with a very important meeting," Olivia answered.

**B&B**

Bruce Wayne gazed at the group of people who were seated around the large, circular conference table. Clark Kent, Diana Prince, Barry Allen, Hal Jordan, John Jones, Oliver Queen, Dinah Lance and Carter & Shayera Hol all gazed back at him.

"As you know," Bruce said, "I called everyone here mainly to thank them for coming to Gotham City's aid."

"If you're thanking us now, then it's not the proper time, because not everybody is here, Bruce," Clark said.

"And I wasn't even here at all," Hal added. "I was busy in outer space, fighting off an alien invasion."

"By the way," Oliver lightly asked him. "How's that going for you?"

"Quite well, thanks," Hal said with a grin. "The Green Lantern Corps stopped them cold."

"In other words, 'you should see the other guy,' right?" Oliver replied, as he and Hal both laughed.

"Boys," Dinah said curtly. "Please…."

"Sorry," both Hal and Oliver said in unison.

"No need," Bruce told them. "There's a second reason why I threw this party: it's so I could gather the original founding members of the Justice League once again."

Barry Allen sat back in his chair. "Uh-oh. Are you gonna say what I think you're gonna say?"

"Yes. Think about it Barry," Bruce said. "The League was first formed after the Starro incident. And even though we were disbanded, you still came together once again when Gotham City was in trouble."

"What's your point?" Diana asked.

"That the League stay should together for good this time," Bruce replied. "Because we're needed now, more than ever. Cadmus has thrown everything out of balance--while we were being hunted, our adversaries have only thrived in our absence. Take what happened with the Joker, for instance. Thanks to him, more than half of my rogues gallery is back on the streets."

"It's not just you, Batman," Carter said. "We've seen an overall rise in the crime rate since Cadmus arrived on the scene. There's also been an increase in the number of super villains all over the country, as well as the world."

Bruce nodded. "And I'm sure you're all been keeping tabs on the news. Thanks to the extraordinary evidence that FBI Agents Mulder and Scully have helped to bring to the public--evidence that was uncovered by The Question--our government is now teetering on the brink of its own crisis."

"Senator Longfellow has already resigned, thanks to that evidence," Clark said. "And I've heard, through sources at the Daily Planet, that the Special Prosecutor is now targeting the President, as well as many key members of Congress."

"Any truth to the rumor that the President will also resign?" Dinah asked.

"It looks very likely," Clark said grimly. "Although that may not save him from prosecution."

"And being thrown in jail couldn't have happened to a nicer guy," Oliver said with disgust. "Deliberately planning the deaths of thousands--if not millions--of metas in the Cadmus prison, as well as in more future death camps that they were planning to build? Bunch of damn fascists, the lot of them. Hope they all rot in jail…."

"This is a time of great turbulence," Bruce said, pressing home his point. "Everywhere people look, things are being tossed upside-down. Crime is on the rise, their leaders are being arrested, the economy is on the decline, jobs are scarce--what better time than this for the League to come back? What better time than now for us to offer the world a helping hand in a united front?"

"What better time than now for the Justice League to be a beacon of hope for many people who so desperately need it?" John Jones said softly.

"Exactly, John, thank you." Bruce turned to the others. "So what's your answer?"

**B&B**

"Would anybody like anything else?" Alfred asked.

"No thank you, Alfred," Bruce said. "Why don't you take off for the rest of the night? We'll clean up in the kitchen."

The butler nodded. "Very good, sir. Have a pleasant evening, Master Bruce, Miss Rachel, Olivia, and Alex."

They all said good night to Alfred as they sat around the curved sofa, sipping their coffee and tea. The party had been over for over an hour, now, and the four of them took this moment to reflect on what had been accomplished.

Olivia glanced at Bruce and said, "Once again, congratulations on reforming the Justice League."

"Yes," Alex chimed in. "Way to go, Bruce!"

"I can't take full credit for it," Bruce said modestly.

"But you were the one who got them all in a room together and forced them to see the reality of the situation," Rachel said. "We truly need the League back, now. And, thanks to you, it has returned in full force."

"Will Batman be a part of it?" Olivia asked.

"Of course," Bruce replied. "It would be the height of hypocrisy for me to help get them back together, and then say I want no part of it--especially after so many of them had come to Gotham City's rescue. I'll be happy to help them out as Batman in whatever way I can."

"It'll be nice to have heroes to look up to," Alex said, "in a time when everything else seems to be falling apart. You know, any one of those on the list of escapees from Arkham Asylum would be scary enough to deal with--but having all of them on the loose like this is just scary beyond belief."

"Not to mention that the Joker is still out there," Olivia said grimly.

"And Mr. Freeze," Rachel added.

Bruce shook his head. "From what Lucius told me about Nora's encounter with Victor, I get the feeling he won't be much of a threat. Call it a hunch, but Mr. Freeze seems to be long gone from Gotham City."

"That just leaves the Joker, and Poison Ivy, and the Scarecrow, and Two-Face, and…." Olivia said, trailing off just before Alex had reached over and jokingly hand-gagged her.

"Let them come--either one at a time, or all at once," Bruce somberly told her. And for a moment, he almost sounded like the Batman. "Whatever comes our way, Sis, we'll deal with it."

"Hear, hear," Rachel said in agreement.

Alex nodded with a smile. "Words to live by."

"Amen to that," Olivia said, as her spirits lifted.

**B&B**

Yuri Gromivitch smiled at the young man who stood freezing in the artic chill. When he signed up for this job, the boy had said his name was David Scott, and that he was from Ireland--but Yuri detected a Scottish accent in the boy, which meant that he lied.

But that was ok. Most of the crew aboard Yuri's ship had lied about their past, anyway. For the job that he required them to do, it did not really matter. As long as they could swing a club, hard. That was all that really counted.

Yuri walked over to the lad, who stood shivering on the ice pack. The sun was shining, and the skies were clear--you could see the icebergs floating in the distance. "You ok, boy?"

"Y-Yes," the lad replied, shuddering. "I-It's c-cold!"

That made Yuri laugh. "That is good," he said, in his Russian-accented English. "For if it were warm, then we might be in the wrong place, eh? Are you ready to do this, David?"

"Aye," the boy said, as he lifted his club.

But Yuri wasn't so sure if David was ready to bash in the head of a baby seal. The boy was all full of bravado when they first shoved off--but now, faced with an ice field of barking, squirming seals, he appeared to be having second thoughts.

"Come, I show you how to do it," Yuri said. "You watch me, and then you do it just like I do, eh?"

"What is there to teach?" Demetri said with a laugh. "You just bash their little heads in!"

The rest of the men all hollered in laughter at that, but Yuri silenced them with a wave of his hand. They stood behind and watched as he mentored the young man.

"You must kill them outright," Yuri told David, as they walked towards a mother seal and her babies. "There must only be one blow, and it must be a killing blow, yes?"

"Aye," the boy said. "But won't that damage the fur on it's head?"

"No, no, it's the fur on the body that we want," Yuri explained to him. "I told you this before, David. The nice, white fur of the baby seal makes for good winter coats for the ladies to wear over their evening gowns, eh?"

The mother seal began to howl in protest as Yuri carefully separated one of her baby seals from the litter with his club. "We don't want the adults, because they're no good. But if the mother tries to stop you, you can just give her a good bash, as well."

David nervously eyed the baby seal, who whimpered fearfully as it gazed up at them with its large black eyes. "I don't know if I can…."

"Oh, it becomes easy after the first dozen," Yuri assured him. "Here, watch me."

He raised his club high over the baby seal--

--and then the whole world went white.

Yuri cursed in Russian as a snow squall appeared out of nowhere, it's howling winds blinding him. The ice crystals that hit the exposed skin on his face felt like a thousand tiny needles. He bumped into David, who clung to him for support.

"Yuri!" Demetri called out. "What the hell?!"

"Get back to the ship," Yuri ordered. He knew what Demetri meant. The skies were clear in all directions for many kilometers; he did not know where the hell this massive storm came from. "Just get back to the--"

Yuri stopped yelling when he saw something that scared the living daylights out of him.

It was a naked man, who stood on the ice several meters away from him. The color of his skin was grey, and his eyes were as black as coals. He raised his arms and gestured grandly, like a conductor leading an orchestra--and the snow and wind answered his every beck and call. It moved however and wherever he wanted. As crazy as it appeared, the naked man had the elements of the artic completely at his command.

He then stared directly at Yuri.

And he smiled.

"GET BACK TO THE SHIP!" Yuri yelled, as he grabbed David and half-dragged/half-carried the young man back to his vessel. "GET BACK NOW!"

Once aboard, Yuri commanded the crew to raise anchor. When they did, Yuri got the ship moving. He glanced out the starboard windows of the bridge and saw the snow had pulled back into a narrow column in the center of the ice field. The seals were all unaffected by it. In fact, Yuri heard them all barking wildly--and to his ears, it sounded like the seals were all laughing at him.

"LOOK!" Demetri screamed, as he pointed.

Yuri glanced at the narrow column of snow and watched as it broke up--but not before a ghastly face was formed within the snow itself, a face that grinned broadly right at them just before it vanished.

"Is that…is that normal?" David asked.

"Never in my thirty years of working these waters have I ever seen anything like that," Yuri said, as he made the sign of the cross. "And, as of this moment, I have just retired…."

Nobody argued with him. They were grateful when Yuri brought them back to their home port several days later. Yuri sold his ship and returned home to Russia, where he settled down with his childhood sweetheart and opened a dairy business just outside of Moscow.

And yet, as hard as he tried, the horrifying image of that naked man on the ice would haunt Yuri Gromitvitch for the rest of his days.

**The End **

**....for now**

I would like to point out that all characters in this story--both the ones I borrowed, as well as the ones I created--are fictious. They are not real, nor is the story, and not meant to be treated as such.

Despite the fact that the main villain here--General Hardcastle--is a military man, I would like to state that I have nothing but the utmost respect for the men and women of the military. Hardcastle is just a fictional character, that's all.

I would also like to take this moment to thank all of you who made the time to write a review for this story. Thanks very much.

My thanks also go to all of you who added this story to your favorites, as well as those who favored me, and added me to your alerts. Thank you.

I'm taking a break from Gotham City for now. But Batman & Benson will return.

Happy Holidays! (December 6, 2009)


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